Fleet Street's New Hero
by Just Maya
Summary: Ironically and completely by accident, Sweeney Todd becomes Fleet Street's new hero, which of course, causes drama, mayhem and maybe even some humor too. How can someone who's a hero be a good villain? Is it over for the Demon Barber?
1. You're A Hero, Mr Todd

First chapter, hope you like it and I hope you read it and review it too because as usual I have no motivation to write if no one reviews. Please read!

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Now it was common knowledge to the three inhabitants of the barber and pie shop that it is to be expected that everyday a young sailor by the name of Anthony Hope would pay them a visit.

Anthony would always begin the visit in the same manner; bursting in the door of either business shouting _"Mr. Todd!" _ and then, when all ears in the room were at attention, he would continue breathlessly, after explaining how he had run all the way there, and introduce the current predicament he had come across.

But it was not common knowledge, nor to be expected, that Anthony would show up in the middle of the night, pounding on the door to Sweeney Todd's barber shop.

Sweeney Todd wasn't trying to sleep.

For a diabolical mass murderer like him, sleep was out of the question.

It just wasn't…villainous enough.

For it was common knowledge to the world that the darkest of all dark deeds were done not by daylight, but by night.

Now Sweeney didn't have the luxury to roam the streets at night, slashing the next of anyone whom he might come across, but at least he could spend his nights awake and plotting his revenge.

Except for when the wooden stairs outside his shop began to creak and suddenly a thunderous banging on his door began.

Sweeney jumped up from his barber chair, and crept through the darkness towards his door. The only light in his room would have been the moonlight, shinning in from the window, but it wasn't there tonight.

Razor in hand, because razor was always in hand, Sweeney grasped the rusting metal doorknob and twisted, the squeak unheard over the continuous knocking, and as quickly as he could jerked open the door.

Before he could speak, Anthony found a razor at his throat and so instinctively lifted his hands.

Sputtering through chokes of fear, Anthony managed to say "M-Mr. T-Tod-dd! It-it's me!"

Sweeney's eyes were a adjusted to the pitch black and all it took was a squint to tell that it was indeed, someone he knew, though _'it's me'_ didn't explain much. He slowly lowered his razor, closing it and pocketing it.

Sweeney considered just slamming the door in Anthony's face for interrupting him, but decided that would lead to more pounding so allowed Anthony to enter the dark room, closing the door quietly behind him.

"What do you want, Anthony?" he asked gruffly, sparing any pleasantries and hoping to get this little midnight meeting over quickly.

Shivering, Anthony crossed the room, sitting himself down without invitation on the nearest thing possible; the barber chair. Sweeney didn't like this, but before he could speak, Anthony continued.

"I didn't know who else to come to…" he began, "I mean, I couldn't well go to the authorities with it, since Turpin has them under his control and he doesn't like me very well. But I couldn't just sit by and tell no one, you know, that wouldn't have been right either, so I came here to tell you!"

"Tell me what?" Sweeney demanded.

"I witnessed a murder!" Anthony declared.

Sweeney's first instinct to the word 'murder' was interest, but then it was fear. What if Anthony had found him out? What if Judge Turpin and the Beadle were waiting outside for him as he and Anthony spoke?

"Where?" Sweeney inquired.

"Out in the streets, near the docks I think." Anthony tried to explain, furrowing his brow attempting to remember, "I don't really know London all that well, I'm not sure where anything this is…"

That was a relief, at least Anthony didn't see the murder committed looking up in Sweeney's barber shop. Sweeney almost sighed but that wouldn't be the evil thing to do.

"Alright then," Sweeney changed the course of conversation from where it happened, to what happened, "What exactly happened? What did you see?"

"I was walking back from—" Anthony was cut off.

"It doesn't matter where, what happened when you saw the murder?" Sweeney interrupted.

"I got lost and I walked into an alley and walked behind a dead tree." Anthony stated, still shivering, "Two men ran into the alley, yelling, one of them had a knife and killed the other!"

"How?!" Sweeney questioned. Normally, he wouldn't really care about what was going on in London at night but if there was a chance…

"He slit his throat!" Anthony exclaimed, his voice breaking as he clenched his fists shaking and trying not to cry, "And I just stood there and watched and did nothing! Oh I'm such a coward!"

Anthony dissolved into outright sobbing, throwing his hands onto his tearing eyes, hoping to save any last bit of dignity he had.

Sweeney paid the crying boy no mind though, the man killed had had his throat slashed.

Someone was stealing his method!

Before Sweeney could make a decision on what to do about it, the door burst open in a loud smash, causing both Sweeney and Anthony to jerk their heads around to see it.

"What's going on in here?!" Mrs. Lovett screeched. A large rolling pin was waving in her hand, to threaten anyone who might be harming the (unrequited) love of her life, "Oh, it's only you, Anthony…Mr. Todd, what is he doing here so late?" she lowered her weapon/cooking utensil.

Sweeney didn't answer and turned back to Anthony who had returned to sobbing face in hands.

"Where did the murderer go?" he asked.

"Into an inn right down the street…I just let him walk away…" Anthony spoke, his answer muffled through his fingers.

"I'm going there." Sweeney declared.

Anthony looked up wide-eyed, tears still evident on his face, "You are?" he inquired hopefully.

"YOU ARE?!" Mrs. Lovett inquired angrily, "No why in the world would you want to get mixed up in any murder business. I don't know what's going on around here but—"

"A man died of a slashed throat." Sweeney stated.

"Oh." Mrs. Lovett mouthed, then added cheerily, "You should definitely do something 'bout that!"

She knew that if there was a criminal investigation on the slashed throat, there was a slim chance that somehow, it would be linked to the barber and pie shops and they would be ruined.

Besides, no one can steal Sweeney's style like that and get away with it.

"I'm going right now." Sweeney announced, "What Inn was it?"

"Um…I don't know…I ran past so fast I didn't read the name and it was awfully dark out there too…" Anthony fumbled, "But the door was painted with a red flower, is that any help?"

"Maybe…" Sweeney muttered.

Truthfully, he had no idea where that inn with the red flower was, but saying so wasn't one of his top priorities. The only place in all of London he knew well was Fleet Street especially after his fifteen year absence.

Never the less, Sweeney headed towards the door, brushing past Mrs. Lovett on his way out.

"I'm coming with you!" she called after him as he stomped down the stairs.

"No." Sweeney replied, without looking back as he continued on his way out into the London night.

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Sweeney had sulked through seven streets until he finally passed a building with rose painted on the door across from an alley with a tall barren tree towards the back.

Running his finger over the razor in his right hand, Sweeney ventured into the alleyway and saw a body lying dead one the cobblestone, a puddle surrounding him made of rainwater, blood and other liquids that would be in a dirty London alley.

"That idiot." Sweeney scowled, clenching his fist around his razor.

The dead man's throat hadn't been slashed. Instead, it had been stabbed and a rough red circle-shape was left behind as evidence.

Only Anthony wouldn't be able to tell a slash from a stab.

Sweeney was about to turn to leave the alley when he heard voices. He looked across the street to see a light exit the red-flowered building, illuminating it's carrier, a burly and hairy man. A woman ran out after him quickly after, screeching at him about money.

"Follow me!" burly and hairy commanded, grabbing the woman's arm with his free hand and dragging her across the street, "I want to show you something!"

"Let me go you crazy bastard!" the woman yelped but was powerless to stop him.

Sweeney got behind the dead tree just as burly brought the woman into the alley.

"Look there!" Burly boomed, letting go of the woman's arm and pointing to the corpse.

The woman gasped, then screamed.

"I'll killed that man, see, and I can do that to you if you don't shut up about the money!" Burly threatened, glaring at the woman.

She didn't answer, she was too busy vomiting on the ground next to the stabbed man.

"You killed that man?" Sweeney asked, walking out from behind the prickly old tree, his form only a silhouette.

"Who the hell are—"

Burly was unable to complete his profane exclamation, for Sweeney had swiftly snapped open his razor and was holding it at his throat. A tiny bed of blood dripped down Burly's unshaved neck as his eyes grew wide and he began to perspire.

The woman, who had just finished regurgitating her latest meal, took one look at the scene and turned and fled the alley.

When Sweeney was about to give this man his closest—and last—shave, when he saw another light and heard more voices.

"It was this way!"

Anthony's voice.

And then multiple sets of footsteps thumped into the alley.

The local Constable, Mrs. Lovett and Toby, following Anthony rushed into the alley with the dead tree to find Sweeney standing with his razor to a man's throat about to make the killing blow.

And just when Sweeney thought he was going to have to murder them all, Anthony spoke.

"That's him, Constable-sir! That man there is the one that killed that man lying on the floor!"

"Are you sure?" the Constable questioned.

"Definitely." Anthony nodded.

The Constable returned the nod and marched over to Sweeney, patting him on the shoulder.

"Sir." He said, "You've just apprehended a murderer that has committed a crime against gone and may have gone on to commit more except for the fact that you have stopped him."

Sweeney just scowled and growled, "So?" in response and slowly lowered his razor from Burly's throat as the Constable chained his hands together.

Anthony ran up to join them, smiling widely at Sweeney.

"You're a hero, Mr. Todd!"

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Please review, I really hope you liked it so far...!


	2. Cat Stuck In A Tree

Welcome to chapter two of my new little baby. Thanks for the reviews so far and I hope those reading continue to review and I hope they continue to like my story. THIS MEANS YOU!!! :)

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There was no other way to say it than that Sweeney was out of it.

His hands shook, his stomach rumbled even when he wasn't hungry (and he was _never _hungry) and it always felt as if someone was breathing at the back of his neck.

And it was all thanks to this…hero business.

It was horrible!

People, whole families even, would dance into his shop, all smiles and cheer. Thanking and congratulating him for his 'brave and heroic actions' that were sometimes wildly twisted beyond imagination.

Like the one these two teenage girls in matching purple dresses and their thirty-something suit and coated escort were giggling about now.

"And then, I heard, you grabbed the guy and held him down for an hour, waiting for the police to arrive!" the first girl squealed. She was standing next to her friend, linking arms with her as they both gazed over at Sweeney with something akin to what we would call 'fangirl-lust' hundreds of years later.

"And the man was like seven feet tall as well, I hear!" her friend added.

The girls stepped closer to Sweeney, eyes boring into him, scanning his entire body. Sweeney was, as discretely as he could, backing up from the she-demons, until he fond himself against the hard wooden wall and trapped.

Luckily enough, the body guard took the hands of both girls and pulled them out of the shop, telling them that it was time to go now.

"We love you Mr. Todd!" the girls called as they exited the store.

As soon as they were gone Sweeney crossed the room and slammed the door to his Barber Shop shut, locking it. Afterwards he decided to rest back in his barber chair.

He couldn't take this anymore.

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_First HE would smile, oblivious to his deserved fate and then…then without wasting anytime precious time on HIS worthless self, Sweeney would cut, slash and HE would fall down into some unlucky Briton's pie. _

_And then…Lucy….and Joanna…_

"Mr. Todd! Would you open this door! I've been trying to get in!"

A familiar screeching brought Sweeney out of his reverie to a world of angry bakers pounding on doors.

Slowly and exasperatedly Sweeney sulked over to the door, unlocked the lock and pulled it open to see Mrs. Lovett standing in front of him, face red and exhausted from shouting and banging.

She invited herself in and sat down in the only chair available, the Barber's chair.

_What was wrong with people?_ …Sweeney wondered as he closed the door again…_always sitting down in his seat._

"What do you need, Mrs. Lovett?" Sweeney asked, "Or did you just come here to bother me again."

"Oh, so giving you housing, food and a method of disposal for your very messy profession is 'bothering you' now?" Mrs. Lovett exclaimed, standing up, "Honestly, for all I do for you—"

"Don't start that again." Sweeney growled, "Just tell me what you're up here for?"

"Well I was in the pie shop today and so many people came by, hoping to see you." Mrs. Lovett explained, "Some of them came up here, I know, but others wanted you to come down too."

"Why should I care if they want me to come down or not?" Sweeney barked, "I had enough trouble with them coming up here!"

It was true, aside from the fangirls, he also became so distracted during a shave by the man complementing him so much that he actually let the guy stand up and walk away.

Alive.

Now, the second time that happened, Sweeney caught himself sooner and was able to call the unsuspecting man back and kill him. But that first time…that first time really bugged him.

"Well, I for one thing, think you should come down more often anyway. You need some fresh air." Mrs. Lovett stated.

"Again, why should I care?" Sweeney asked.

"Enough of this pouting, Mr. T!" Mrs. Lovett declared, "You're coming down with me right now and you're going to greet your public."

And so Mrs. Lovett took hold of Sweeney's hand and he was powerless to stop her from dragging him outside into the assaulting sunlight that broke through the gray clouds in the sky.

Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett were met by applause and hurrahs excreting from a gathering about forty or so pie-fillings (people).

"What…is….this?" Sweeney demanded slowly and in a low voice, glaring at Mrs. Lovett who was guiding him (against his will) down the stairs into the clapping masses.

"Why it's your party, Mr. Todd!" Mrs. Lovett whispered a smirk on her face as she said it, "Anthony's idea."

And she let go of his hand and the crowd, as if working as one body, pulled Sweeney into its midst until she could no longer pick him out.

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The party, which consisted towards the end, mainly of drunken singing and dancing, finally came to a close just past eleven; for the next day was Monday and the beginning of the work-week.

And Sweeney had despised it all.

The laughter, merriment and especially the drinking made him sick.

There were times he wanted to pull out his razor and just slash through everyone (those times being the entire party), but alas, he knew he couldn't get his revenge if he was arrested.

And so now, in the dark, Sweeney sat, glaring at the ground, at one of Mrs. Lovett's pie shop outdoor tables, wanting so much to retreat back into his barber shop, but too frustrated and lost in his own deep, dark thoughts to move.

Besides, being outside at night, stroking his razor, made him feel dangerous.

"Shoo! Shoo! Go on now!"

Sweeney didn't look up when he heard Toby kicking the old beggar woman away as if she was a dog. Toby or Mrs. Lovett ended up having to do this at least once a day.

But then, when Toby trotted up to Sweeney, the barber had to acknowledge him sooner or later.

"Mr. Todd. Excuse me, Mr. Todd." Toby said, looking down at Sweeney slumped in the chair.

"What is it, boy?" Sweeney answered two minutes later.

"I just have something to say." Toby began.

"Well say it already." Sweeney replied, planning not to pay attention anyway.

"I just want to say that I misjudged you, that's all." Toby continued, "Before I thought you was a demon or something. Maybe I was listening too much to that hag in the streets. The fact is that I didn't trust you and I was wrong. I just wanted to say that. You're a good man, Mr. Todd, a real good one."

Sweeney growled and finally rose from his seat. He growled and walked right past Toby and up the stairs in to the safety of his Barber Shop, leaving Toby quite puzzled.

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After a night of brooding, morning began and Sweeney awoke to find that he had been asleep. He didn't know for how long, but he knew that sleeping was not dastardly at all and because he was no longer a naïve common man he shouldn't be doing such a trivial thing as sleep.

As usual, Mrs. Lovett knocked once and entered the Barber shop carrying a tray of food.

"Good morning, Mr. T!" she chirped, "I trust you enjoyed the party last night."

Sweeney looked up from his barber chair and glowered at the woman, shaking his head only slightly.

"I don't think that was Anthony's idea." He said, "He wasn't even there last night."

"Okay, well, maybe it was my idea." Mrs. Lovett admitted, setting the tray down on the wooden table by the window, "But I was only doing what was best for you, Mr. Todd. You do need to get out more."

"You need to mind your own business, woman!" Sweeney exclaimed, "What right do you have, gossiping so much about what happened?"

"I didn't!" Mrs. Lovett countered, leaning against the table, "I may have mentioned it at the market, and Toby told some boys he was playing with in the street, but most of them didn't hear it from me. It was probably Anthony that told a lot of them, he was right proud of you, he was."

And by sudden coincidence, the stairs outside creaked as footsteps dashed up them and Anthony was in room.

"Mr. Todd!" he cried.

"What?" Sweeney asked sharply, turning his head to look at Anthony, breathless and panting in the doorway.

"I ran all the way here!" he declared, "It's a disaster!"

"What's going on now?" Mrs. Lovett inquired, walking over to the young sailor.

"They need help! Mr. Todd, Mrs. Lovett! Follow me! Please you've got to!" Anthony begged.

Sweeney was about to decline, when Mrs. Lovett pulled him once again from his Barber's chair and the three ran down the stairs and onto Fleet Street.

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"Help! Someone! Please!" a raggedy little girl called.

A small kitten was stuck in the top of a tall tree in the local park, the little girl was at the foot, crying for someone to get it down when Anthony, followed by Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett appeared.

"Don't worry!" Anthony exclaimed, patting the girl on the head, "Mr. Todd will get the cat down!"

"You brought me here…" Sweeney began, shaking with anger, "To get a cat down from a tree…?!"

"Yeah well, you see I have an awful fear of heights and the authorities won't be bothered with it--!" Anthony attempted to explain, but was cut off.

"I'm leaving." Sweeney decided, turning to go and striding down the path towards the park exit.

"Please, Mr.!" the little girl ran after him, "Please get Ruby down!"

"Oh, Mr. Todd, please!" Anthony added, also running after him, "The poor animal!"

"I'm not going to waste my time." Sweeney replied, increasing his pace.

"Oh yes you will, Mr. T." Mrs. Lovett announced.

"Will I?" Sweeney responded, rolling his eyes.

But when he stopped walking and turned around to face Mrs. Lovett he was that she was holding her rolling pin (he had no idea where it had come from) and smacking it rhythmically against her palm in a very threatening manner.

Normally, a woman with a rolling pin would be nothing to fear, but when it's a woman who lifts multiple heavy corpses a day and a rolling pin used for everything, even unclogging toilets and crushing bugs and small rodents, that was a force to be reckoned with.

Sweeney dragged his feet back to the tree, scaled it and brought the cat down safe and sound, although Sweeney gained a few scratches himself.

"I got the cat. Now take it." Sweeney held the vicious beast at arms length, lowering it to the little girl's level.

"Silly man, Ruby's not my cat." The raggedy child stated, wiping her nose "I live in the orphanage. We's not supposed to have animals there. I was just sad cause it was in the tree."

Sweeney shot an evil glare at Anthony who just shrugged and looked confused. Sweeney then deposited the kitten on the grassy lawn of the park.

"I'm not going to forget this Anthony." He muttered, shoving his clenched fists into his pockets "Let's go."

"You can't just leave Ruby all alone!" the girl cried, "What if she gets stuck back in the tree?"

"What if I don't care?" Sweeney retorted, turning and stalking down the cobblestone path toward the exit of the park for the second time.

"But Mr. Todd!" Anthony yelped, "This just isn't like you? Leaving a poor defense baby animal unattended? That's so heartless!"

Mrs. Lovett let out a long and sudden laugh at Anthony's comment, causing everyone to look back at her. She quickly calmed herself.

"I'll take the cat with me, dearie, Ruby's the name, right? It'll do some good with the rodent problem in the Pie Shop." Mrs. Lovett told, bending over and scooping up the cat, which looked at her strangely.

"Fine, just keep it away from me." Sweeney warned and kept on walking, now with Mrs. Lovett and Anthony following behind him.

"Promise not to make you into a pie." Mrs. Lovett grinned, winking at the kitten in her arms.

"Thank you ma'am!" the little girl peeped than ran away back into the park.

"Yes, thank you Mrs. Lovett." Anthony agreed, jogging to keep up with her and Sweeney's pace as they strode through London towards Fleet Street, "And thank you too, Mr. Todd. You're such a helpful and kind man! I just am so confused why you didn't take in the cat, yourself!"

"I'm allergic." Sweeney grumbled, rolling his eyes, although Anthony couldn't see because he was walking behind him.

"Oh my!" Anthony exclaimed, "That explains everything! I knew it wasn't mean reason! I just knew it!"

The three turned a corner, past many tall buildings, and Fleet Street was back in sight.

"Hey, Anthony?" Mrs. Lovett piped.

"Yes?" Anthony answered.

"Don't you have a boat to catch?" She asked.

"Oh my gosh!" Anthony shouted, eyes opening wide. He spun and ran the other way as fast as he could in the direction of the docks, calling and waving as he ran, "Goodbye Mr. Todd, goodbye Mrs. Lovett!"

"Come on, Mr. T, let's hurry up!" Mrs. Lovett suggested, "It's almost eleven, I have to get back to the shop and get the oven fired up. And you have to get back to what you do best."

Yes.

Yes he did.

And what Sweeney Todd did best was killing people, and NOT apprehending murderers and saving cats from trees.

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Please review!


	3. Bakehouse On Fire

I told myself I'd wait until four reviews, but I couldn't so here this is. Thanks so much to the people who have reviewed so far!

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Eleanor Lovett was quite pleased with herself to say the least.

Ever since she had arranged that congratulatory party for Mr. Todd, he had been the talk of Fleet Street and the general surrounding area. More people had come to his shop, and so, she had more meat, and so more money.

And because Mr. Todd being so well-known and popular in the neighborhood, meant she was as well by association. So now, both of them had a large increase in customers and for the first time in a long time, Nellie felt rich.

It was four thirty in the morning and Nellie ascended from her bed, dressed and tied up her hair loosely and left her room. She tip-toed down the hall and through the kitchen as not to wake Toby from the sitting room where he slept on the couch.

She exited the Pie shop and stumbled down the stairs in the dark with only a small lantern to guide her. Nellie knew she needed to get a head-start on chopping up the dead bodies from yesterday, because of the masses of patrons that would unwittingly enjoy cannibalism in her shop later that day.

Once she was in the bakehouse, she set the lantern on the table and walked over to the first body.

A balding, overweight man who's beard was actually half shaven and still had shaving cream on his cheek. Mr. Todd wasn't taking this hero stuff well, Nellie could see, but she shrugged it off and dragged the body over to the grinder after stripping it down. The man's clothes were expensive and would earn her some extra cash.

Nellie braced herself and using the table as leverage she began to lift the enormous dead man up to the opening of the meat-grinder. She slipped, falling down and knocked the lantern off the table.

The kerosene poured out and suddenly the floor and the other bodies were burning and Nellie was helpless to escape for the fat man had fallen on top of her, rendering her motionless.

Contemplating life and death, Nellie looked into the corpse eyes and on to his face, realizing he looked a little like her deceased husband.

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Pounding.

And then...

"MR. TODD! MR. TODD!"

But when Sweeney opened, scowling with razor in hand he found Toby instead Anthony, whom he was expecting.

"Do you know how early it is?!" he barked, "What is it!"

"The bakehouse!" Toby exclaimed, tears in his eyes, "It's on fire!"

"What!?" Sweeney roared, "Did you go down there?!"

"No!" Toby cried, "Mum doesn't want me down there without her permission!"

"And where is she now?" Sweeney asked.

"In the bakehouse!" Toby sobbed, "Do something, Mr. Todd!"

"I'm going into the bakehouse and dealing with this." Sweeney declared, pocketing his razor. He then looked Toby straight in the eyes, "Stay here."

"Yes sir!" Toby agreed.

He stood still and watched Sweeney run down the stares and past the Pie Shop into the bakehouse.

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Sweeney kicked down the door and burst into the bakehouse to see flames engulfing everything.

When Mrs. Lovett saw Sweeney comes in, her first idea was to gasp and sigh _'my hero'_ but then she decided on a more beneficial option.

Sweeney scanned the room until he saw Mrs. Lovett trapped under the body of an overweight man. Upon closer inspection he saw that she was passed out, probably due to smoke inhalation.

He knew that without her, he'd have no one to conceal his murders and be back to square one with his plans for revenge. So despite having to risk his life to do it, Sweeney knew he must brave the fire and save her.

Seeing a small patch of floor unconsumed by fire (no oil was spilled there) Sweeney passed the burning table and stepped carefully across the free space. He used all his strength in one shove, pushing the large man off of Mrs. Lovett and into the fire, afterwards lifting her into his arms and carrying her quickly out of the burning building.

Mrs. Lovett held in a sigh of delight as she nuzzled her head into Sweeney's chest as her carried her out, praying he wouldn't notice she was conscious and make her walk.

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Expecting darkness, the bright light of at least twenty lanterns accosted Sweeney's eyes as he carried himself and Mrs. Lovett out of the bakehouse.

A crowd was gathered around the Pie and Barber Shops, holding lights and buckets of waters. Familiar faces from around Fleet Street and some men in red coats were beginning to form a straight line to create a bucket-brigade in order to put out the fire.

Toby and Anthony, accompanied by a man in a red coat rushed up to Sweeney.

"Toby I thought I told you to stay where you were!" Sweeney reminded.

Toby shrunk and hid himself slightly behind Anthony.

"I know you were only trying to keep the boy safe and away from the fire, Mr. Todd." Anthony began, "But I came around and decided the fire department should be called. We went together, so don't worry, Toby was safe the entire time and is still unharmed."

"Wonderful." Sweeney muttered, rolling his eyes and looking down at Mrs. Lovett wondering if it would be okay just to drop her now that she was out of the fire's immediate reach.

"I'm the fire captain for this area." The man in the red coat stated, reaching out a hand for Sweeney to shake, "I've heard tale of you, Mr. Sweeney Todd. First you capture a murderer, next you save a cat from a tree and now you've rescued a woman from a fire. You are quite the Good Samaritan and I am very pleased to make your acquaintance."

Sweeney wouldn't have shaken the fire captain's hand anyway, but at least now he had an excuse since both of his arms were currently occupied. Once the red-coated man realized this, he dropped his hand back to his side and spoke again.

"She should see a doctor as soon as possible. Fire, smoke and heat isn't good for the lungs."

"I'll run and get a doctor right now!" Anthony announced, and then turned and did just that, knocking over some firemen with buckets on his way.

"Mr. Todd…" Toby started, his hiding place now having disappeared, "We should take mum inside and put her in her bed."

Sweeney nodded and the two of them walked into the pie shop and then into Mrs. Lovett's bed room. Once standing over her bed, Sweeney quickly released her on to the mattress, her body bouncing up slightly when it landed.

"Ow! Mr. T! Be gentle!" she cried, sitting up and rubbing the back of her head.

"So much for being passed out and quiet…." Sweeney grumbled, "I'll be going now."

He slipped his hands into his pants pockets and headed for the door.

Mrs. Lovett let out a loud stream of hacking coughs, causing Toby to jump and run over to her side to pat her on the back.

"Oh Mr. Todd! Don't leave! I feel faint…!" she brought her the back of her hand to her forehead and drifted slowly back down to her pillow.

"Anthony will be back with a doctor any moment, you'll live." Sweeney replied.

"Please just stay with me until then, Mr. T, it would mean the world to me, it really would!" Mrs. Lovett begged.

"Fine." Sweeney agreed and crossed the room to sit in an arm chair facing her bed. He leaned back and reclined in it, staring at the ceiling.

"Toby dear." Mrs. Lovett began, turning her attention to the boy, "Could you go into the other room and get me something to drink, please."

"Yes mum!" Toby nodded and ran out of the room.

Once he was gone, Mrs. Lovett turned back to Sweeney, gazing at him intently until he finally looked down from the ceiling and back at her.

"So…Mr. Todd…you saved me tonight." She reminded.

"It's not night, it's early morning." Sweeney deflected.

"Don't matter, you still rescued me." Mrs. Lovett stated, "Come over here, I want to tell you something…"

"No." Sweeney declined flatly.

Mrs. Lovett coughed again, "But Mr. Todd, please, only for a moment."

"If you promise to be quiet and not bother for a while, I will." Sweeney bartered.

"It's a deal." Mrs. Lovett agreed, grinning and winking.

Sweeney reluctantly rose from the armchair and trudged over to Mrs. Lovett's bedside.

"What do you want to say to me?" he asked.

"Lean in closer, and I'll tell you." Mrs. Lovett instructed.

"No." Sweeney refused, "Just tell me from where I am now."

"Please, just come closer." Mrs. Lovett begged, and before Sweeney could say 'no' again, she reached behind his neck and pulled him near, "Now close your eyes…"

"This is where I draw the line!" Sweeney declared, jumping backwards away from her.

"Just do it or there will be another party for you tomorrow." Mrs. Lovett threatened.

Groaning, Sweeney bent back down until he was eye level with Mrs. Lovett who was sitting up in her bed and closed his eyes, dreading what Mrs. Lovett would say and/or what she would do.

Once she was satisfied that Sweeney couldn't see, Mrs. Lovett puckered her lips and inched her face slowly toward his until they almost met…

"I got the doctor!" Anthony shouted, sprinting into the bedroom a doctor following along after him.

Sweeney's eyes flew open and he looked at Mrs. Lovett who was about to kiss him and then at Anthony and the doctor who had stopped moving and were looking quite embarrassed.

"This isn't what it looks like!" Sweeney declared and then elbowed Mrs. Lovett in the ribs, "Right, Mrs. Lovett?"

"Right!" Mrs. Lovett agreed, quickly lying back down on her bed and closing her eyes.

Anthony blushed sheepishly and the doctor coughed discretely.

"I couldn't find any Gin so I had to go next door to get some, mum!" Toby explained, entering the room, a bottle in hand. He noticed the awkward silence and looked at everyone in the room in turn. "Did I miss anything, mum?"

* * *

Please review.


	4. At The Park, Cleaning, Invitation

I decided to update anyway. I hope whoever reads this enjoys it.

* * *

It was an abnormally bright and sunny Saturday afternoon and Mrs. Lovett who had closed down her Pie Shop and forced Sweeney to close his Barber Shop, was enjoying this rare weather tossing a ball back and forth with Toby on the green of the local park.

Sweeney was sitting under the only darkness he could find on this annoyingly cloudless day; the shade of a nearby tree. His razor, as usual, was in his hand and he was stroking the blade lightly.

Ruby, the kitten, who had previously occupied herself by pouncing on unsuspecting butterflies, wandered over to Sweeney and mewed at him.

Normally, this would have annoyed the barber, but since he hadn't killed anyone that day it _really _annoyed him and he decided to make Ruby his first murder of the day.

"Come here you dirty little beast." Sweeney beckoned and grabbed the cat with his free hand, lifting her to eyes level.

Ruby was given her name because of her bright red eyes that shown like rubies, especially in the bright sunlight. Her coat was white, signifying that she was albino. Sweeney liked the red of her eyes and the white of her fur. It reminded him of the red blood on his white shirt.

He brought his razor up and pointing it at the kitten, who cocked her head to one side confused. Just like the confused patrons of his Barber Shop, who naively had no idea what was coming until it was too late.

About to slash Ruby's throat, Sweeney stopped when she reached out her paw and brought out her claws, comparing them to the razor and pointing them at Sweeney in the same manner he was pointing the razor at her.

Sweeney was about to put the cat down, he really was, when Mrs. Lovett and Toby came running up to him. Mrs. Lovett was glaring and shouting.

"What are you trying to do to my cat!?" She exclaimed, reaching down and snatching Ruby away from Sweeney, "Keep your bloody razor away from her, you crazy man!"

Mrs. Lovett held the cat snuggly and pet its white fur in the same way Sweeney would hold his razor.

"I wasn't going to kill it." Sweeney muttered.

"Then be careful where you're pointing that thing." Mrs. Lovett huffed, turning around and beginning to walk away, "Come along, Toby."

"Yes mum!" Toby nodded, clutching the ball and following Mrs. Lovett.

The two returned to throwing the ball and Ruby joined in, chasing back and forth between them after the ball.

Sweeney grimaced, the scene making him sick, and put his razor back into his pocket. He realized he had no reason to be at the park anyway, but didn't feel like getting up and walking all the way back to Fleet Street through the sunshine.

He decided, instead, to enjoy his favorite pastime; remembering Lucy and Joanna and fantasizing about killing Judge Turpin.

_Turpin was falling, his head severed completely, a pool of blood materializing around him as he was consumed by the fire of the bakehouse oven._

_Lucy was smiling up at him, a halo of white surrounding her, he lifted the veil and they kissed. _

_Joanna plopped back down on a small pink blanket that separated her from the grass below, Lucy was laughing and encouraging her to stand for the first time as he looked on. _

Sweeney looked back up at Mrs. Lovett, Toby and the cat, remembering why days like these made him want to vomit.

* * *

"I'll have the broom, Toby, you'll have the dustpan and Mr. Todd, you'll be mopping." Mrs. Lovett declared, handing Toby his dustpan and Sweeney a mop and bucket.

They all stood in the charred bakehouse, which Mrs. Lovett decided needed a thorough cleaning after the fire.

"Absolutely not." Sweeney declined, dropping the mop to the ash-ridden floor "I already saved you from the fire. I shouldn't be having to clean. It was you who caused the fire in the first place."

"Well we all need to pull our own weight around here and help each other." Mrs. Lovett countered, "Like a family."

"We are NOT a family and I'm going back upstairs." Sweeney stated, setting the bucket full of water on the floor and walking up the stairs and out of the bakehouse.

"You're just gonna let him go like that, mum?" Toby piped up, looking at Mrs. Lovett questioningly.

"Oh he'll be back, you'll see." Mrs. Lovett winked, "Let's just get to work, alright."

"Right!" Toby agreed.

Mrs. Lovett had barely begun to sweep up the ashes when Sweeney slammed the bakehouse door and stomped back down the stairs.

"Back so soon?" Mrs. Lovett asked, looking up at him and laughing.

"Unlock the door to the Barber Shop immediately." He barked.

"All in good time, dearie, first get a mop." Mrs. Lovett suggested.

Grudgingly, Sweeney picked up the mop and bucket and began to clean. Mrs. Lovett and Toby returned to their task as well.

An hour later, the bakehouse was clean and Mrs. Lovett sighed appreciatively, surveying the improvement.

"Well I think we did a good, don't you Toby, Mr. T?" she inquired, hands on her hips.

"I'd say so, mum." Toby nodded.

Sweeney didn't answer, he just shook his head at Mrs. Lovett angrily.

"Cheer up, Mr. Todd!" Mrs. Lovett chided, "You've just learned the value of a hard day's work."

Sweeney was about to shout at her, or just walk out of the bakehouse when the three heard footsteps the creak of the door.

The Beadle had just entered their bakehouse.

"I finally found you, Mr. Todd." He said, crossing the room over to Sweeney and extending a hand to shake, nodding at Mrs. Lovett and then Toby.

Sweeney had no desire to shake his hand and quite disgusted at the fact that the Beadle Bamford was in the bakehouse, yet not dead and ready to be made into a pie.

Reluctantly, he took the man's hand and shook it lightly once, dropping it quickly after.

"What brings you here to this _private property_?" he asked.

"Why, you of course." The Beadle answered matter-of-factly, "Seeing as how lately you've become somewhat of a town hero, I have come to offer my congratulations from myself and also the honorable Judge Turpin himself."

"I am honored." Sweeney growled, the Beadle oblivious to his sarcasm.

"The honorable judge would also like to offer a dinner invitation for Sunday night." The Beadle continued, "And you should feel obliged to accept his hospitality."

"I'm sure." Sweeney replied.

"Now I know, you and the honorable judge did not get off on the best of terms last time you met." The Beadle reminded, "But he, in his generosity, is willing to look past that and I'm satisfied that you'd feel blessed by that grace and attend, Mr. Todd."

"Yes." Sweeney muttered, his mind already formulating plans to kill the 'honorable' judge in his own home.

"Then, I will see you there, Mr. Todd." The Beadle declared, "And your wife and son are also welcome to join you."

"They're not my—" Sweeney started, but was interrupted.

"We'd be happy to attend." Mrs. Lovett beamed, she and Toby were now standing next to Sweeney.

"Alright then." The Beadle tipped his hat and turned and left.

Sweeney, Mrs. Lovett and Toby watched him go, each with their own plan in mind. (Yes, even Toby has a plan).

* * *

"But Mr. Todd!" Anthony exclaimed, "You just have to let me come with you!"

Two minutes ago, Anthony had burst into the dinning room of the Pie Shop to hear Mrs. Lovett and Sweeney talking about going to Turpin's house on Sunday night.

"Are you mad, boy?!" Sweeney shouted, he was sitting at the table pushing carrots around in a bowl of soup Mrs. Lovett had mad him, "Don't you remember what happened last time you were there?"

"But Joanna will be there and I must see her again!" Anthony countered, pacing back and forth in front of Sweeney, "I have to rescue her!"

"You won't be any good to her dead." Sweeney stated, "Do you know what that judge can do to you? He can have you taken away, thrown on a boat to Australia, far away from everything dear to you! Do you want that to happen?!"

"No…but---I, well…!" Anthony fumbled, pausing his step.

"He could have you hung, he could." Mrs. Lovett added, walking out of the kitchen area and sitting down next to Sweeney, "Without a trial even."

"But Joanna… I promised her… what am I going to do? …" Anthony said, defeated. He sat down in a chair across from the two and hung his head in his hands. Suddenly, he jumped back up, elated, "I know! I know exactly what to do!"

"And what is that?" Mrs. Lovett asked.

"I could wear a disguise!" Anthony yelped.

"That's ridiculous." Sweeney commented, dropping his spoon into the bowl.

"No it's not!" Anthony explained, "I could pretend to be your cousin from…uh…France! Yes, France! I know a little French. And I could ask to be excused to use the bathroom during dinner and instead find Joanna and get her out of there and hide her somewhere. Then I could come back to the house and the judge would think I was at the bathroom the whole time and wouldn't realize Joanna was until later that night, but by then, the two of us would be on a boat far away from London! It's a brilliant plan, don't you think!"

Mrs. Lovett and Sweeney looked at each other, rolling their eyes and then turned back to Anthony.

"We can't risk something like that, Anthony dear." Mrs. Lovett said, "If you was caught, we'd all be put away for life. Judge Turpin is old, he probably don't have much longer to live. Wait until he dies and then you can come back for your girl."

"I don't know about that…" Anthony mumbled, sitting back down at the table, "How long would that be?"

"I'd say soon enough, right Mr. Todd?" Mrs. Lovett stated.

Sweeney nodded and smirked.

* * *

Toby along with the little kitten Ruby, who had trailed after him, was kneeling on the street rolling dice with some other boys, playing for some candy since they all lacked money.

"I don't believe you, Toby." One boy, older than Toby, snickered, "There'll be no way a judge would let a scruffy brat like you in his home, even for a minute."

"It's true!" Toby asserted, "Believe me. Me and mum are going there tomorrow and I'll be rich man come Monday."

He rolled the dice and favorable number came up, allowing him to take two pieces of candy from the third boy, who whined.

"But what if he finds out." The whiner asked, "He'll be bound to know it was you."

"I'll make sure he don't find them." Toby said, "I'll hide the stuff where no one can find it, not even my mum, so even if he comes round looking, he won't find anything."

"So, what are you gonna take?" the first boy inquired.

"I dunno yet." Toby shrugged, "But he's a judge, he's got to have some good stuff. Probably so much he won't notice if it's gone. Then I'll sell it and be rich."

"Bet you don't make a dime." The boy wagered, tossing the dice.

"We'll see." Toby responded.

Ruby ran and pounced on the dice and began batting them around, causing the other two boys to moan and complain.

* * *

Once Anthony had finally run off, content that Judge Turpin had a rare heart condition that would cause his demise in the next year or so, Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett were left in the dining room to discuss more important things than costumes and cousins from France.

"Mr. T, you've barely touched your soup." Mrs. Lovett scolded, "At least eat a few bites, keep your strength up for tomorrow."

"Tomorrow…yes tomorrow." Sweeney nodded. The only word he had heard in Mrs. Lovett's sentence was the word 'tomorrow' for all that it implied. Every other comment was lost, for Sweeney was deep in contemplation.

_Mrs. Lovett would have to take Toby out of the room, she wouldn't want him to have to die as well. And if Joanna was at the table, she'd have to leave as well, but that was unlikely…_

_Then quick action would be necessary so that neither Turpin, nor the Beadle would have the chance to make any noise or escape their fate. _

_And their bodies…where would they be hidden? _

"Mr. Todd! Mr. Todd!"

Sweeney was snapped back into reality by the shrill voice of the woman standing next to him, making sure he ate every last bite of food.

"What…" he finally answered.

"Well, I was thinking…" Mrs. Lovett began, "Instead of killing him in his home, where it could get very messy, you should invite him to your shop. He could come in on Monday and you could do it there…"

Sweeney looked up at Mrs. Lovett in interest. Why hadn't _he_ though of that?

"Yes…that would work." He considered, actually eating a spoonful of soup.

"Or…" Mrs. Lovett added, "You could give him a shave, let him leave and then follow him. Off him in some alley so no one notices that he went to your shop for a shave and never returned."

There was something brilliant about this woman, Sweeney decided.

He felt like jumping up, hugging her and spinning her around until they both fell to the floor dizzy, but that would prove far too out of character for a cold blooded killer such as himself.

But still…the plan was so perfect…

"Eleanor Lovett!" Sweeney exclaimed, standing up and bowing, "What ever would I do without you?"

Mrs. Lovett only just smiled contentedly, despite the fact one of her dreams had just come true.

* * *

Please review!


	5. Sunday Dinner At Judge Turpin's

Here's chapter five and I hope anyone reading this likes it.

* * *

Since in the past days, multitudes of customers had patronized the Pie Shop, Mrs. Lovett now had to money to take Toby and herself out to get fitted for new clothes that they would wear to dinner at Judge Turpin's house.

Currently, Toby was standing, arms outstretched and legs separated on a platform, getting his measurements done by a young woman.

"How long is this going to last, mum?" he complained, "I've been standing for so long!"

"It'll be over soon enough, dear." Mrs. Lovett told, "Just be patient."

She looked over at a rack on the wall and examined some fabrics she thought she would look nice on her. She had chosen a dark blue for the color of Toby's suit and was thinking of a violet for herself. As for Mr. Todd, she reckoned only black or dark gray would do but wanted to add more color to his wardrobe.

"Just where is that Mr. Todd." Mrs. Lovett wondered aloud, "He said he would meet us here."

"I dunno, mum." Toby shrugged, his movement causing the woman measuring him to hiss, "But I bet he's stalling so he don't have to go through all this!"

"Hmm…" Mrs. Lovett considered, folding her arms.

* * *

Sweeney Todd making his way, as slowly as possible, to the Tailor Shop, dreading how he was going to be prodded and examined _everywhere _by a complete stranger with a measuring tape.

Just then, the last person he'd ever want to see (aside from the Beadle or Judge Turpin) came running up to him, wearing a concerned look that only meant Sweeney would be dragged into something he wouldn't want to do again.

"Mr. Todd! I found you at last!" Anthony shouted, waving his arms.

"What is it _this time_, Anthony?" Sweeney growled.

"There's this old man!" Anthony began, "He's stuck down in the well--"

"No." Sweeney interrupted, shaking his head, "Not now, not ever and not anymore. Find someone else to bother with all these problems!"

"But I don't know anyone else!" Anthony cried, "And if someone doesn't help soon, the old man will die! You have to help!"

"Anthony, no." Sweeney declined, brushing past Anthony "I have somewhere to be."

"Mr. Todd, please!" Anthony begged, running after Sweeney, "After I saw that man die in front of me in the alley, I swore to myself I would never let anyone else die on my watch!"

"So, get the old man out yourself!" Sweeney suggested gruffly.

"I tried that!" Anthony groaned, "But I couldn't! That's why I need your help! Quickly!"

"Alright, alright." Sweeney conceded, "If I help you now, do you promise, on sailor's honor or whatever, to never bother me with your troubles again?"

"I swear, sailor's honor!" Anthony declared, holding a hand to his heart, "Now, let's go save the old man!"

Sweeney followed Anthony to the docks area of London where there indeed was a well with an elderly man inside.

Anthony and Sweeney peered down over the edge.

"Help me!" the old man called up, his voice echoing.

"Don't worry, sir!" Anthony yelled down, "I got my friend I told you about, the hero, he's gonna help me get you out of there!"

"Hurry!" the old man moaned.

Anthony turned to Sweeney, "What should we do? Maybe if you hold my feet and lower me down, I can grab him and then you pull us both up…"

Sweeney shook his head. That plan would never work, he wasn't strong enough to lift two people out of a well and if Anthony fell in, then he'd be tempted to just leave them both down there.

"How about this." Sweeney suggested, "Go to that boat over there and get a rope."

He gestured to a boat docked nearby.

"Great idea, Mr. Todd!" Anthony exclaimed. He then stuck his head back down into the well and addressed the old man, "You see, I told you he was a genius! He always has the best plans!"

"Just go!" the old man and Sweeney commanded at the same time.

That sent Anthony running onto the ship close by. A minute later, he returned clutching a long rope.

Anthony and Sweeney lowered the rope down into the well and the old man took hold. Together, they pulled him up to safety.

Once out, the cleanly shaven elderly man thanked and shook both Anthony and Sweeney's hands. And in the bright light, Sweeney recognized the old man as a customer of his Barber Shop he had accidentally forgotten to kill because he had been so distracted by all the hero business.

He had just saved a man that he had meant to kill.

This was getting out of hand.

* * *

"Mr. Todd!" Mrs. Lovett shrilled, causing everyone in the Tailor Shop to look over at her, "What in the Queen's name took you so long!?"

"I got held up…" Sweeney grumbled as he trudged into the Tailor Shop and over Mrs. Lovett, who was now having her turn being fitted while Toby absentmindedly played with a spool of thread.

"Well never mind that anyway." Mrs. Lovett huffed, "I picked out a color for you. Toby, show him."

Toby stood up from where he was seated on the floor and handed a square of fabric to Sweeney. It was forest green.

"What is this?!" He exclaimed.

"Well all you've got already is black; I thought you needed some color." Mrs. Lovett explained.

"This is unacceptable." Sweeney declared.

A man in a suit walked from the Tailor Shop's front desk over to Sweeney.

"Would you like to be measured now, sir?" he asked.

"Fine." Sweeney agreed, "But none of this green stuff. Black is what I want."

"Yes sir." The tailor said and led Sweeney over to another platform to be fitted.

* * *

Mrs. Lovett had splurged for rush delivery of the new garments and so two hours before they were necessary, they arrived at her Pie Shop, delivered by two men who were adamant upon seeing Sweeney Todd.

"Wait here." Mrs. Lovett instructed, motioning to the men that they should wait in the sitting room, "I'll go and get him."

She left the room and returned, a good fifteen minutes later, with Sweeney. It had taken her a lot of convincing to get him to leave his Barber Shop.

"These two men said they wanted to see you, Mr. Todd." Mrs. Lovett explained, leading Sweeney into the sitting room where the men, holding the clothing, were seated.

"What do you two need?" Sweeney asked, "I don't have an excess of time."

The men stood at once when they saw him enter the room and rushed over to him, both extending their arms to shake.

"I'm Paul." One said.

"I'm Saul." The other stated.

"And we're the Small Brothers and are so pleased to make your acquaintance!" they both exclaimed.

"…That's wonderful for you." Sweeney replied, confused and annoyed, "Why are both you so pleased?"

"Why are you so pleased he asks!" Paul laughed.

"Why indeed!" Saul chuckled, "So humble, you are, Mr. Todd, don't you agree my dear brother?"

"Yes, humble he is." Paul acceded, "You know what you've done, Mr. Todd."

"No…I don't…" Sweeney countered. He looked over to Mrs. Lovett, but she shrugged, also having no idea what was going on.

"Well let us remind you!" Paul and Saul smiled, "You saved our grandfather from that well this morning!"

"Oh Mr. Todd!" Mrs. Lovett cried, "Why didn't you tell me you rescued a man from a well? I wouldn't have gotten so angry at you for being late!"

Sweeney didn't answer and only growled.

"I should be getting back to my shop now, unless of course, you gentlemen would like a shave." He stated.

Mrs. Lovett giggled and so Sweeney shot her a dirty look. The Small Brothers shook their heads in unison.

"Oh no, Mr. Todd!" Saul declined.

"No shave for us." Paul added

"We're growing beards!" They declared together.

"But thanks for the offer." Paul thanked.

"We'll be off now." Saul announced.

The two men shoved the clothing they were holding into Sweeney's arms and skipped out the door. Sweeney glared and shook his head as they left.

This had been the second day in the row he hadn't been able to kill anyone.

* * *

It was almost time to leave for Judge Turpin's house and Mrs. Lovett and Toby were dressed up in their new garments, waiting in the dining room of the Pie Shop for Sweeney to join them.

"What is taking that man so long?!" Mrs. Lovett complained, throwing her hands up.

"Maybe it doesn't fit him." Toby suggested. He was holding Ruby and stroking her white fur.

"Toby, honey, put that cat down, she'll get hair all over your new suit." Mrs. Lovett ordered and Toby did as he was told, "I'm going up to get Mr. Todd."

Mrs. Lovett, holding her dress up slightly as so not to step on it as she walked, left the kitchen and climbed the stairs to the Barber Shop.

She knocked on the door, "Mr. T! It's time to go now!"

"Go without me." A muffled voice called out from behind the door.

"What's wrong with you, Mr. Todd?! Are you crazy?!" Mrs. Lovett demanded, "Come out here at once and let's go."

"No." Sweeney replied.

"I'm coming in then, and I'm going to drag you out!" Mrs. Lovett declared, "Have you forgotten all your plans?!"

"I'm not leaving wearing this." Sweeney stated.

Mrs. Lovett pushed open the door and walked in. Squinting through the dark, she saw Sweeney sitting in his Barber Chair, staring out the window.

"Stand up, what's going on here?" Mrs. Lovett said.

Sweeney stood and turned to face Mrs. Lovett, showing her the problem and causing her to cover up choked laughter.

"It's yellow…" he groaned, "I'm not wearing it."

"Well you can't very well go naked; now can you, Mr. T?" Mrs. Lovett reasoned, "Besides, you look fine."

"I look ridiculous." Sweeney barked, stuffing his hands into his pockets, "What were those insane tailors thinking?! I say you go back there and demand a refund and a new suit!"

"We don't have time for that." Mrs. Lovett retorted, "We need to go now, or else we'll be late!"

"Then go without me, I'm not wearing this." Sweeney restated.

"No, you're going, Mr. Todd, that's final." Mrs. Lovett decided, putting her hands on her hips, "So come on!"

"Can't I just change first?" Sweeney asked.

"No, we don't have the time!" Mrs. Lovett answered.

She ran over to Sweeney's side, grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the Barber Shop, down the stairs on onto Fleet Street, calling Toby to 'come along'.

The three of them, then made their way through London towards Judge Turpin's home.

* * *

Half way to Judge Turpin's house, Sweeney, Mrs. Lovett and Toby were accosted by a man with a long, curly beard and mustache, an oversize beret and brightly colored make up decorating his face that inclued lip stick and white powder.

"BONJOUR!!" the man exclaimed heartily, causing all three to jump back in alarm.

Sweeney swiftly swept out his razor and pointed it at the bearded man threateningly.

"Wait! Mr. Todd! Don't!" the bearded man cried, "It's me!"

"Anthony…?" Sweeney asked, lowering his razor, "What are you doing?"

"I was thinking a lot lately and decided that I can't just wait around for Judge Turpin to die." Anthony explained, "I have to save Joanna as soon as possible, I can't leave her to the mercy of that evil man, trapped all alone in his home."

"Wait a minute…that's Anthony?" Toby inquired, looking up to Mrs. Lovett and then at Anthony.

"Yes it is." Mrs. Lovett sighed, "He is quite hopeless isn't he."

Toby grinned.

"I'm not hopeless!" Anthony pleaded, "Please let me go with you. Even you three didn't recognize me, so Judge Turpin won't either, the plan will work, I promise!"

"How can you honestly expect us to allow you accompany us looking like that?" Sweeney demanded, "You look like a complete fool."

But Sweeney did appreciate Anthony's costume despite its foolishness; it made him feel so much less self-conscious in his own yellow suit.

"Fool or not, Judge Turpin will never know it's me!" Anthony countered, "I'll only speak in French, and since I look French…"

"You don't look French." Mrs. Lovett laughed, "What would your Joanna think of you, dressed like that?"

"Well I…She'll…" Anthony stuttered, nervously twisting his fake beard.

"She won't even recognize you, that's what." Mrs. Lovett answered her own question.

"She'll know I've saved her, won't she…!" Anthony declared.

"Go home, Anthony. Go home." Sweeney told him.

Defeated, Anthony stripped off his bead and hat, then wiped off his make up and trudged away.

Sweeney, Mrs. Lovett and Toby continued towards Judge Turpin's home.

* * *

"So, Mr. Todd, when did you two get married?" the Beadle asked.

Sweeney had the suspicion since yesterday when the Beadle addressed Mrs. Lovett and Toby as his 'wife and son' that he was only doing it to tick him off and knew very well that he was NOT married to Mrs. Lovett and Toby was NOT his son, but now he knew for sure that this was the case and that fact just made him want to kill the Beadle even more.

He, Toby, Mrs. Lovett, the Beadle and of course the honorable Judge Turpin were seated around Judge Turpin's lavishly decorated table, complete with white cloth, satin napkins and real silverware. Golden candles lit the room and maids dressed in skimpy outfits brought in course after course of meal.

"When did you and the judge get married?" Sweeney retorted under his breath, rolling his eyes and picking at the meat on his plate. The Beadle and the Judge did always seem to be together, like a married couple…

Mrs. Lovett stamped on his foot under the table, causing him to cough.

"What was that, Mr. Todd?" the Beadle inquired.

"I—" Sweeney was cut off.

"What my husband here was saying," Mrs. Lovett interrupted, "Was that, if this isn't out of line, that the honorable Judge here's chin is just a tad hairy, right dear?"

The room was silent.

Mrs. Lovett stepped on Sweeney's foot again.

"Right." Sweeney agreed.

"You think so?" Turpin considered, stroking his chin, "Well I trust your opinion as a barber, Mr. Todd."

"But of course, judge," Sweeney continued, "I wouldn't make such an observation aloud unless I could propose a solution. I want to match your hospitality for inviting me here and offer you a free shave tomorrow afternoon."

"I would be obliged to accept that offer." Turpin chortled, "But I'll have you know, I do expect the closest shave in London, Mr. Todd."

"Oh, you needn't worry about that…" Sweeney grinned.

* * *

Please review it makes me happy!


	6. Foiled Again

Okay well after that whole begging for a review business I decided to make this chapter longer.

* * *

Sweeney has just gotten back from Judge Turpin's dinner and was elated.

He paced around his shop letting out all the sudden excess energy brought about by his excitement.

He was breathing anticipation, it was radiating like heat off of his body, he could hardly wait until the next afternoon where he would give Judge Turpin a shave and then take his life.

Finally after so long Sweeney Todd would have his revenge.

Suddenly, the sound of his door opening, caused him to pause his pacing and turn to see Mrs. Lovett, holding her rolling pin.

"Could you stop all this clomping around up here, I can hear it all the way down in the Pie Shop, you're driving me completely mad!" she exclaimed, waving her rolling pin.

"But can't you feel it?" Sweeney asked, "This wondrous mood in the air?"

Before Mrs. Lovett could answer, Sweeney took one hand and one rolling pin and pulled her into a dance, waltzing around them room.

"The judge will die, the judge will die!" he sang joyously, "And he won't even become a pie! Tomorrow will be the best day of my life, when I finally avenge my wife!"

"Quiet down, Mr. T !" Mrs. Lovett hushed, grabbing Sweeney by his shoulders and shaking him, "Do you want the whole of Fleet Street to hear your rambling?! Get a hold of yourself!"

Sweeney took a deep breath and calmed down.

"Anyway, Mr. Todd." Mrs. Lovett continued, walking Sweeney over to his Barber Chair and sitting him down, "Do you have what you're going to do after you kill him in mind?"

Upon hearing that, Sweeney furrowed his brow, contemplating.

"I suppose I'll leave London, never cared much for this dismal city anyway…" Sweeney considered.

_But what about Joanna? After Turpin died what would happen to her? He could take her with him, but he didn't want to scare her and currently only Mrs. Lovett knew that Joanna was even his daughter. _

_Mrs. Lovett could vouch for him, but what about Anthony. He wanted to marry Joanna and wouldn't stand for her being taken from him, even by her own father. _

_And revealing that he was Joanna's father would reveal his true identity as well, which could cause him to get arrested all over again. Oh, it was all so complicated and confusing. Did he really want to bring his poor little Joanna into all that? _

_He could just leave her behind, but that would undoubtedly mean she would end up with Anthony and would a good father really let their daughter marry someone like Anthony…_

What to do, what to do?

"I'll figure it out." Sweeney finally declared.

"Oh Mr. Todd…!" Mrs. Lovett sighed, staring at the ceiling and throwing up her hands, "Just what am I going to do with you? You need a plan, you do. You can't just leave it all up to chance."

"Well you're always good at making plans." Sweeney stated, "You figure it out if you want one so badly."

"Hmm…how about this…" Mrs. Lovett began, "After you take care of Turpin you come back here, get a good night's sleep and give people shaves all the next day like nothing's happened. Then that night, you leave to the countryside, maybe near the coast or the channel and in a few days Toby and I will join you."

"What do you mean you and Toby will join me?" Sweeney demanded, looking at Mrs. Lovett questioningly.

"You think you can handle yourself, all alone in the world, Mr. Todd?" Mrs. Lovett laughed, "You wouldn't last a day without me. You'd starve to death without me cooking for you and you're socks would never be clean if I didn't wash them for you. You need me, Mr. T."

As much as Sweeney wanted to disagree, he couldn't.

"But what about Joanna?" Sweeney asked, "I can't just leave her here alone…or worse with Anthony."

"Why I'll bring her along, of course!" Mrs. Lovett suggested, "I'll be a good mother to her."

Mrs. Lovett's comment drained all the joy and contemplation out of Sweeney and replaced it with pure fury.

_How dare she try to be Joanna's mother? Only the beautiful, kind, innocent Lucy would do as a mother for the sweet and lovely Joanna, not the crude, human-pie making Eleanor Lovett. The nerve!_

Sweeney stood, whipping out his razor and directing it at Mrs. Lovett who raised her rolling pin in defense.

"Never. Say. That. Again." He threatened, his voice barely a whisper, "Now, get out!"

Looking confused, put off and a tad scared; Mrs. Lovett spun on her heels and walked out of the room, huffing as she went. (Sweeney has mood swings, lol).

* * *

Nellie descended the stairs of the Barber Shop and found Toby, sniffing and hiccupping under an outdoor table. She bent down next to him and patted him on the shoulder.

"What's wrong, dearie?" She inquired, "Tell mummy what happened."

"Okay." Toby agreed, "But promise not to get mad."

"I promise." Nellie promised, wondering what could have occurred.

"Well, when we was at the Judge's house, I nicked some of his silver," Toby started, whipping a drip from his nose, "And I was showing some of the boys when this man came up and said he was a police officer and took the silver, saying he knew it wasn't mine. And then he said I was going to take me to the Judge for stealing, so I ran! Oh mum, I'm so scared, am I gonna be hung?"

"No you won't be hung, I'll make sure of that, love." Nellie comforted, hugging Toby, "And are you sure this man was a police officer? Did he show you a badge?"

"No…" Toby replied.

"Then we can't be so sure he was a policeman in the first place, now can we." Nellie added, "Get up and come on, let's try to find this man and work it all out."

She stood and offered her hand to Toby, who took it as she pulled him up. Hand in hand, they left the outdoor table area of the Pie Shop and began their search around London.

* * *

It was around nine thirty when Sweeney decided that Mrs. Lovett was wrong about him being unable to take care of himself, and in order to prove it, he decided to go buy some supplies for when he left London.

For awhile Sweeney wandered around the streets, finding that no store was open at the current hour and all the buildings were dark. The only sign of life was small pub on a corner.

Sweeney thought he might as well go in there and see if he could buy a sack to put his belongings in off some traveler since he took the trouble to leave his Barber Shop anyway.

He opened the door to the pub to witness a scene occurring, involving two people he just happened to know…

"Hey you there!" Mrs. Lovett called over the noise of the bar, striding over to a tough-looking man sitting at a back table with two other similar looking men, "That's my silver you've got there. You stole it off my son and I want it back!"

Tough turned around and eyed Mrs. Lovett, lingering on her chest. Her hands were resting on her hips, one holding a large rolling pin and her eyes were glowering down at him. Toby was standing behind her, matching the look.

"Look lady, I'm in a good mood so why don't you and your son back off." He warned.

"After you give me back my silver I will." Mrs. Lovett retorted, "So hand it over."

Mrs. Lovett outstretched an open palm to Tough. Tough gargled and spit into it.

A chorus of 'oh' filled the room; all eyes were on Mrs. Lovett and the man.

Mrs. Lovett took one look at her soiled hand and wiped it off on Tough's shirt.

Another 'oh' rang out of the room.

Tough stood up, a foot or more taller than Mrs. Lovett and glared down at her.

"You wanna mess with me, eh wench?" he asked, "You'll regret this!"

Mrs. Lovett lifted her rolling pin and smacked Tough on his bald head. Hard.

A third 'oh' echoed around the room.

"Why you little bitch!" Tough shouted, raising his hand and preparing to smack Mrs. Lovett, "See this fist!? I'm gonna knock your lights out!"

"No!" Toby exclaimed, attempting to jump in the way.

Sweeney didn't want to act, he really didn't.

He could have just stood there and watched the man strike Mrs. Lovett down and his conscience would have been clear (if he had one, that it), it really would have.

He wouldn't have even lost a wink of sleep over watching her fall (if he slept, that is).

Sweeney could have just stood there and done nothing.

But he didn't.

In what seemed like a flash, Sweeney was standing in between Mrs. Lovett and Tough, aiming his razor at the latter.

"Mr. T!" Mrs. Lovett cried joyfully, but Sweeney didn't acknowledge her, instead he addressed the man.

"Just give the woman the silver and we can all go home alive."

"Hey man, put that knife down!" Tough responded, "I don't want no trouble. You want the silver, take it!"

Mrs. Lovett tapped Toby on the shoulder and he scurried out from behind her and snatched the silverware off the table where Tough's two friends were sitting. He stuck out his tongue at Tough and friends, then ran back behind Mrs. Lovett.

"Let's go." Sweeney muttered, turning and heading for the door.

Mrs. Lovett and Toby followed hurriedly after Sweeney as he stalked out of the pub.

* * *

Today was the day!

The last day that the 'honorable' Judge Turpin would ever be alive.

Sweeney woke up at five am that morning, being unable to sleep any longer. He polished each one of his razors for an hour, until he could see his face, sharpened them and put all but the one he carried with him away in their case.

He paced around the room for twenty minutes, every so often checking on his little 'friends', dusting them off sometimes and counting them, just to make sure they were all there.

Sweeney cleaned of his barber chair, making sure it was extra prepared for when Judge Turpin sat in it, but then remembered that he had to follow Mrs. Lovett's plan and let the judge leave.

Sitting down in his Barber Chair, going over the plan in his head, Sweeney began to imagine how the scene would play out.

_Turpin would be walking towards the red light district, unaware Sweeney was following right behind him. When they reached a secluded location, Sweeney would tap the judge on the shoulder._

"_Oh Mr. Todd? What are you doing here?" he would ask, straightening his clothing and looking from side to side, embarrassed he had been caught in such an unsightly neighborhood._

"_I just remembered that I missed a spot when I was giving you a shave." Sweeney would reply._

_Turpin would stroke his chin and not feel a single slip of stubble. He would be confused._

"_Where?" he would inquire, "I don't feel anything."_

"_Oh you'll find out soon enough…" Sweeney would state, grinning and pulling out his razor._

"_Mr. Todd!" the judge would exclaim, taking a step backwards but hitting a wall._

_Trapped._

_And then, then Sweeney would reveal his true name._

"_Remember a man named Benjamin Barker…?"_

No.

He could do better than that.

"_How's my daughter Joanna…?"_

No. No.

Sweeney didn't want to bring her into this.

"_Fifteen years ago…"_

No. No. No….!

Sweeney was racking his brain, yet couldn't find anything clever enough to say when delivering the final blow to Judge Turpin. He was hours away from that exact moment and had nothing…

Standing up, Sweeney decided he would go ask Mrs. Lovett what he should say. She always seemed to know what to do or say and this situation shouldn't be any different.

He left the Barber Shop and descended the stairs.

* * *

Mrs. Lovett was sitting at the wooden table by the door, casually flicking a string around for Ruby to chase when Sweeney came in.

"Why Mr. Todd!" she exclaimed, "What are you doing down here of your own accord?"

Sweeney opened his mouth and meant to say 'I need some help' but instead it came out an inaudible mumble.

Asking for help would be harder than he thought.

"Come again…?" Mrs. Lovett suggested, wondering just what was going on with Sweeney this morning.

Sweeney walked over to the table and sat down across from Mrs. Lovett, leaning in and looking her in the eyes.

"Is that street boy of yours around?" he whispered.

"No." Mrs. Lovett answered, also leaning in and whispering, "I sent him out to the market to buy some milk and flower. I'm baking a cake."

"Why?!" Sweeney demanded in a hoarse whisper.

"Well today is a special occasion of sorts, you know." Mrs. Lovett replied, continuing the quiet voice.

"Right…" Sweeney agreed, still whispering "...well about that I was, well...um...wondering what I should, you know...say to Turpin. Right before I...."

"Are you asking me for help?" Mrs. Lovett ventured, almost chuckling.

".....no." Sweeney whispered indignantly.

"....oh..." Mrs. Lovett replied.

There was a moment of silence, the two were still leaning half away across the table in order to hear the other's whispers.

To anyone who didn't know what was going on, it would look…questionable.

One of those 'anyone's' was, of course…Anthony, who stopped running when he reached the doorway of the Pie Shop and saw Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett's faces close so close together there.

"Um…" he began, "Am I…interrupting anything?"

Sweeney, hearing Anthony's voice, jumped back from Mrs. Lovett so quickly he fell back in his chair. Getting up, he growled, and brushed off his clothing, glaring at Anthony.

"What are you doing here, Anthony?" he barked, "And if it's to get me to help someone I don't even know, you can turn around and run right back out that door."

"No, I'm not here for that!" Anthony shook his head, "I'm here to propose a plan."

"And just what is this…plan?" Sweeney asked.

"I passed by the market and ran into Toby, who informed me that Judge Turpin is coming to your shop for a shave this afternoon." Anthony continued, "I was wondering, if you could, you know, stall him a bit. Just for fifteen minutes or so, while I sneak into his house and rescues Joanna."

"For the last time, Anthony!" Sweeney shouted, "I don't want to be involved in any schemes of yours to get that girl!"

"Please, Mr. Todd!" Anthony begged, striding over to Sweeney, "She needs my help! It would only be for a few minutes! The Judge wouldn't even know you were part of it!"

"Anthony, I think you need to set your sights on another girl," Sweeney stated.

"Wha-what?" Anthony stuttered, backing up slightly.

"You heard me." Sweeney repeated, "I think you need to go after another girl. That Joanna has caused you enough troubles. Stay away from her."

"But I could never! I promised her!" Anthony countered, "She needs my help!"

"Forget that promise, you had no idea what you were getting into." Sweeney suggested, "Anyone would understand. Leave the girl."

The room was deadly quiet after Sweeney said that.

And then, for the first time Sweeney or Mrs. Lovett had ever seen, Anthony got a look in his eyes.

A determined, angry, _powerful_ look in his eyes.

And then Anthony made complete eye-contact with Sweeney as he announced in the strongest authoritative tone:

"There is no way in_ hell _I would leave Joanna. I promised to save her and I intend to. No one can stop me, not Judge Turpin, not God and not you, Mr. Todd! Because I _love _Joanna and nothing ever is going to change that. Now good day to you both."

And with that, Anthony bowed his head and then walked calmly out the door.

After the shock had worn off Mrs. Lovett turned to Sweeney.

"Hmm…well its worse than we thought, Mr. Todd." She commented, "He loves her."

"That boy….is too naïve." Sweeney muttered angrily and then walked out of the room and back up to the Barber Shop.

"Men!" Mrs. Lovett cried, throwing her hands up, "Right, Ruby?!"

The kitten mewed in agreement.

* * *

Toby was rushing home from the market, a jug of milk in one arm and a bag of flower in the other. He was dangling a pouch of sugar between his teeth. He turned the corners of London, narrowly avoiding bumping people but stopped when he saw his friend standing by a lamppost.

"Get your papers!" the boy called out, waving a newspaper in one hand, "Papers here! Only three pence!"

Toby trotted over to him, hoping to get a discount on the newspaper, wondering if Mrs. Lovett would want to read it. He dropped the pouch of sugar from his teeth onto the flour bag.

"Hey, Mickey, I've got a penny!" Toby declared, "Can I get one?"

"It's three so pay up; the boss said I can't give any discounts." Mickey responded, "Besides, what do you want one for anyway, you can't read!"

"So, my mum can." Toby retorted, "So how about you give me one now, and I pay you later."

Before Mickey could decline Toby's deal, Toby snatched a newspaper in his mouth and rushed off with it.

"Come back here you thief!" Mickey called after him, "You're not my friend anymore!"

* * *

Mrs. Lovett was bustling around in the kitchen when Toby ran in the door so fast she could have sworn it was Anthony. Toby plopped the items down on the counter.

"I got the things you wanted, mum!" he squeaked, "I also got you a paper, too. Thought you might like to read it."

Mrs. Lovett turned to Toby and put one hand on her hip, "I don't remember giving you enough money for a paper, Toby!", she said sternly.

Toby grinned toothily and Mrs. Lovett matched it.

She reached down and pulled the newspaper up to eye level, reading the headline.

_SWEENEY TODD: FLEET STREET'S NEW HERO  
_

Mrs. Lovett gasped, and then began to laugh.

"What is it, mum?!" Toby asked, "What's so funny!"

"Oh, nothing." Mrs. Lovett giggled. She then began to shout, ", GET DOWN HERE! I THINK THERE'S SOMETHING YOU SHOULD SEE!"

Mrs. Lovett and Toby waited a few minutes and finally they heard stomping footsteps on the stairs outside. Sweeney stalked into the room.

"What is it?" he grumbled.

"Take a look at this!" Mrs. Lovett tossed the paper into Sweeney's arms.

Sweeney glanced down and began to read the words on the page.

_SWEENEY TODD: FLEET STREET'S NEW HERO_

_Sweeney Todd, local barber with an establishment on Fleet Street, is being dubbed by the public 'miracle man' on account of the many heroic and kind deeds he has performed to help the citizens of London._

_He captured a wanted murderer , saved a cat from being stuck in the tree despite being allergic to cats, rescued his landlady from a fire, saved a man from drowning in a well and protected a woman and child from getting attacked by a man who stole their silver._

_Todd is considered the common man's hero and the whole of Fleet Street and London are just waiting to see what he will do next._

Sweeney's face turned bright red.

He crumpled up the newspaper and threw it sharply to the floor.

"I wasn't finished with that…" Mrs. Lovett complained, sighing and resting her head in one hand.

"This is a disaster!" Sweeney roared, "I'm going to find the person who wrote this article and kill them! No! I'll find everyone who read this article and kill them all!"

"Mr. Todd!" Mrs. Lovett shrilled. She reached over to Toby and covered his ears.

Sweeney, fuming, spun around and started to walk out of the Pie Shop.

"Oh no you don't!" Mrs. Lovett called after him, "You are not going to walk out of this kitchen! You are going to march straight back in here, sit yourself down and control your temper!"

She let go of Toby's ears and dashed after Sweeney, pulling him back into the room and sitting him down at the table. She then went over to each door and locked them, placing the key in her bosom. If he really wanted the key he would have to reach in and pull it out.

"There." She huffed, once that was all done, "Now let's bake a cake!"

* * *

It was finally time.

Judge Turpin had just left the Barber Shop only moments ago, clean-shaven and none the wiser to what was in store for him.

Sweeney gazed out the window, watching him go and more importantly watching the large amount of people seated outside eating pies who also saw Judge Turpin leave the Barber Shop alive.

Taking a deep breath, Sweeney chose two razors from his case and wrapped a large cloak around his body. He bent over and pulled open the trap door leading to the Bakehouse and lowered himself down.

No one would see Mr. Todd leave his Barber Shop that day.

Once inside the Bakehouse, Sweeney landed on a body left there to break his fall.

Mrs. Lovett was standing over him and extended a hand to help him up. Sweeney stood up without taking it and walked past her silently towards the exit.

"Good luck." she called after him.

He pulled the hood of the cloak over his head and slipped out the door.

* * *

Sweeney blended in seamlessly with the masses walking on the London streets as he followed Turpin. He kept both hands in his pockets, gripping his razors.

Finally, Turpin turned into a deserted area where all the buildings were dark and no one walked on the sidewalks. He entered an alley and Sweeney followed him, the alley was a shortcut to Turpin's home and Sweeney could see its roof.

Just when Sweeney was about to confront Turpin, he heard footsteps behind and turned around to see Anthony.

_No!_

_Not now!_

"Mr. Todd!" Anthony began.

"Shut up!" Sweeney barked, turning back to continue following Turpin.

"No I will not shut up!" Anthony declared, grabbing Sweeney's shoulder and spinning him around to face him, "I know why you're here. You've come to stop me from saving Joanna! But I---"

"Did someone say Joanna?"

Sweeney and Anthony both turned to see Turpin marching towards them.

"Judge Turpin!" Anthony gasped, scared and shocked.

"You again, boy!?" Turpin shouted, "Stay away from my Joanna!"

Without another word, Anthony, drained of all color, took off running the other direction, away from Turpin.

"That's right! You run, boy!" Turpin yelled, shaking his fist, "The authorities will be coming to collect you tonight!"

"What's all this about?!"

Turpin and Sweeney scanned the alley and saw the Beadle strolling towards them, along with the Constable that Sweeney met when he captured the murderer.

_Too many people, too many witnesses…_

Sweeney clenched his fists rightly around his razors and stalked away from the alley, leaving the Judge, the Beadle and the Constable behind.

"Is that you, Mr. Todd?!" Judge Turpin called after him, but Sweeney just hurried up and ducked behind a corner, not bothering to reply.

* * *

"SURPRISE!" Mrs. Lovett and a slightly confused as to the occasion Toby cheered, when Sweeney opened the door to the Barber Shop.

Mrs. Lovett was holding a big cake.

Sweeney shoved Mrs. Lovett and Toby out of his was and sunk down into his Barber Chair, closing his eyes and throwing his head back.

"Don't you want some cake, Mr. T?" Mrs. Lovett asked.

"……no." he muttered.

"Are you sure?" Mrs. Lovett repeated, setting the cake she was holding down on the table by the window and picking a piece out with a fork and aiming it towards Sweeney, "Open wide, it's good."

"Just leave." Sweeney whispered.

"Alright, but I'll leave you the cake, in case you get hungry." Mrs. Lovett agreed. She took Toby by the hand and they left the Barber shop.

Sweeney didn't stir and he didn't move from that chair the rest of that day and all that night.

He just sat there and slept.

* * *

Please review!!


	7. Anthony

**I replaced the chapter before this so go back if you didn't read it. **

Okay, another chapter but it's a little short... I hope it's good...

* * *

It was Anthony.

It _always _was Anthony.

The first time Sweeney had Turpin in his clutches, it had all gone wrong because Anthony had run in.

And now, the second time Sweeney was moments from ending Turpin once and for all, Anthony had to ruin it again.

Well not anymore.

It was a bright Tuesday morning, birds were chirping, citizens were bustling about the city and Anthony was added to Sweeney Todd's kill list.

* * *

"There he is!"

Anthony heard the shout and jumped up from his hiding spot behind the tree and started running.

He was in the park and currently being chased by three men he assumed were Turpin's goons.

He looked back as he ran and saw they were gaining on him.

Ducking behind a bridge that crossed a tiny stream that ran though the park, Anthony watched the goons run by.

He crouched down and closed his eyes, hearing the men converse while standing on the bridge.

"He went that way!" one bellowed.

"No, he went that way!" another countered.

"Split up!" the third ordered.

Anthony listened to their footsteps as the three parted ways and hoped they wouldn't find him.

As he sat silently hoping not be discovered, Anthony's thoughts drifted to Joanna.

Lately the two had been sending each other messages through a maid working in Judge Turpin's home.

He had told her that he would save her yesterday, but instead Turpin had scared him off. What would she think?

Anthony stood up, determined.

He decided he was going back to Turpin's house, storming in and taking Joanna, even if the Judge and the Beadle were right there.

He crept out from under the bridge and ran back through the park, unnoticed by the three perusing him.

* * *

Anthony reached the home of Judge Turpin and jumped behind a bench across the street to wait until the coast was clear.

He watched the windows and saw no one walking in the house and only saw Joanna sitting by the window of her room.

_I'm coming for you, my love. _He thought dramatically.

"All the kings horses and all the kings men….they're coming to get you, humpty dumpty!"

Anthony spun around when he heard a slurred voice to see the beggar woman.

Off in the distance, Anthony also the three men that were chasing him running in the wrong direction.

Knowing he had to move quickly, Anthony leaped up from behind the bench and began to sprint across the street towards Judge Turpin's home.

"Friend of the devil!" the beggar crooned after him, "Friend of the devil and his wife! Friend of the men who eat the flesh of men!"

"That woman is so crazy…" Anthony muttered to himself as he neared Turpin's door.

Just as Anthony was about to open the door, the door burst open and Judge Turpin and the Beadle were standing there waiting for him, with sick yellow-toothed grins on their faces.

The Beadle smacked Anthony down with his cane and kicked him down the stairs.

"You never do give up, do you boy?" Turpin scoffed as he descended the stairs, "Well you've chosen the wrong man to cross."

Anthony tried to stand, but couldn't so he was left helpless on Turpin's front lawn with his two worst enemies walking towards him.

"I warned you once, boy, I was generous enough to let you live." Turpin continued, kicking Anthony in the stomach, "But I will not be so kind this time. By dawn tomorrow, boy, you will feel a noose around your neck."

And with that, the Beadle clubbed Anthony with his cane so hard on the head, Anthony fell unconscious.

* * *

"Mr. T, you've got some mail again!" Mrs. Lovett declared, entering the Barber Shop to find the familiar sight of Sweeney reclining in the Barber Chair.

She pranced over to him and dropped the stack of letters in his lap. Sweeney reluctantly started to flip through them.

"Fan mail…fan mail…fan mail…it's all blasted fan mail!" he exclaimed as he looked at the letter. Sweeney picked up the clump of mail and tossed it behind him.

As the letter soared through the air, Mrs. Lovett reached out a hand and caught one.

"This one doesn't look like its fan mail…" she commented, "It's got no return address."

"Let me see." Sweeney snatched it from Mrs. Lovett's fingers and examined the envelope.

_**To The Kind Mr. Sweeney Todd**_

The handwriting was familiar and when Sweeney placed it, he tore open the letter.

_**Dear Mr. Todd, **_

_**I know you do not know me, but I have heard of you. You are known as a kind a generous man willing to help anyone, so I must ask you one urgent favor. **_

_**My dear friend Anthony Hope, who speaks of you often, has been arrested and is due to hang tomorrow morning. You must save him. **_

_**My caretaker knows much of the court and jail systems and complains regularly about the warden of the hangman's prison, who is willing to release any prisoner for the right price. **_

_**I know this is asking so much, but I would forever be in debt to you, dear Mr. Todd, if you would please help rescue Anthony from the noose. I will find some way to repay you someday, I promise. **_

_**You are his and my only hope. **_

_**Please and thank you. **_

_**PS. Enclosed is a lock of hair, please give it to Anthony so that he knows I am thinking of him. **_

There was no signature but Sweeney didn't need one to figure out who had written the note.

It was Joanna.

His daughter.

And as much as Sweeney would love Anthony to be dead, he could never, ever say no to a request from his beautiful, sweet, lovely yellow haired daughter.

Sweeney rose quickly from his chair.

"What did it say?" Mrs. Lovett asked.

"Go get some money." Sweeney ordered.

Mrs. Lovett, confused but accepting, dashed out of the Barber Shop to retrieve some currency.

While she was gone, no one was around to notice Sweeney slipping a shard of yellow hair into his pocket.

* * *

Some men howled and called out as Sweeney and especially Mrs. Lovett passed the cells, while others crouched in the corners not even looking up.

Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett were in the hangman's jail on the far side of town where the crime rate was rampant and crowds gathered to watch the light leave fellow human beings eyes as they swung back and forth.

"This place is disgusting." Mrs. Lovett sniffed, glancing at the grime and leaky ceilings as she pulled the shall she was wearing closer around her, "And I still can't believe your doing this, Mr. T, you can hardly stand Anthony after he ruined your plans twice."

"Don't bring that up." Sweeney growled, "Just stay quiet and keep moving. I want to be in and out of here as fast as possible."

He quickened his pace into almost a brisk jog and Mrs. Lovett had trouble keeping up with him.

Each time he'd hear a moan, Sweeney would shudder and he was unable to make eye contact with any of the prisoners behind bars, even for a moment, as if he was afraid of their eyes.

The prisoners on the other hand, when not distracted by the first woman they had seen in awhile, eagerly stared at Sweeney, wondering what someone with eyes like them was doing on the other side of the bars.

"This is such a gloomy place." Mrs. Lovett added, "These men, in this dank environment, all with noting to do but await their own death. It's down right sad."

"They have it easy." Sweeney countered, whispering, "Imagine spending years in a place like this with nothing to look forward to but more years and a prolonged and painful demise. That's what destroys a man until he is no longer human…_until he is a demon…" _

* * *

"I told them, Mr. Todd, I told them." Anthony declared, tears flowing freely from his eyes "The other prisoners didn't believe you were coming for me, but I knew you were. They said I would hang tomorrow, but I knew better. I knew you would save me, Mr. Todd, I knew you would!"

Anthony was practically hugging Sweeney as they and Mrs. Lovett walked through London in the direction of Fleet Street.

"You might've been saved, Anthony, but you didn't save me a penny!" Mrs. Lovett commented, "That warden was mad, charging that much. Just plain mad."

"I'll work it off!" Anthony offered, "Help in your Pie Shop until all the money's paid back!"

"Hmm, well I could use an extra hand now and then…" Mrs. Lovett considered.

"No." Sweeney decided.

He didn't even want to imagine what it would be like with Anthony on Fleet Street 24/7.

"Why not, Mr. Todd? It would be great, I'd get to see you everyday!" Anthony stated.

"You just escaped from an experience that might have ended in death." Sweeney reminded, "I think you should rest for awhile, get your head straight."

"Ah! Mr. Todd! You're so right!" Anthony agreed, "I'll go rest right now!"

Anthony sprinted off at high speed away from Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett, into the masses.

"Something tells me he isn't going to be resting, Mr. Todd." Mrs. Lovett sighed.

Sweeney nodded and they continued on their way back home.

* * *

Please review!


	8. Jacks The Rippers

Here's another chapter. I hope you all like it!

* * *

It was night.

Lucy Barker, who had but a skim, scattered idea of her name and past and so begged on the streets and sometimes sold herself for bread money, was slumped in an alley against a stone wall watching water from a pipe drip into a puddle.

Footsteps tapped into the alley and Lucy looked up to see the silhouette of a man.

"It is heard that in this alley dwells a willing woman." He said.

His eyes flashed and Lucy knew his intent was not what it seemed. She began to shiver in fear; she had never been so close to a demon before. The only ones she had ever seen were the ones on Fleet Street from afar.

Then Lucy was angry.

How dare they follow her here, to her only haven, the alley by the house where the yellow-haired girl sits in the window and sings with the birds? This was heaven and yet there was a devil in heaven.

"How dare you, demon!" Lucy cried, "Back away from me! I know who sent you! The devil of Fleet Street who beckons people in and never lets them out!"

The silhouette of the man jumped back in shock, not expecting the woman to shout at him like that. He steadied himself and reached for the scalpel he was holding…

Before he could act though, Lucy, who had become quite strong to survive on the streets, ran at him and knocked him to the ground, and kept on running.

Off into the night, screaming of devils and demons and the fate she narrowly escaped.

* * *

"Look at this!" Mrs. Lovett told the three males sitting at the table of her Pie Shop. She slapped the newspaper down so they could see.

"What's it say, mum?" Toby asked, leaning over his bowl oatmeal and almost spilling it to see the paper more closely.

"Oh my gosh!" Anthony exclaimed when he read the headline.

Sweeney didn't look up nor comment, he just kept on leering out the window, watching the people pass and wishing Anthony was not hiding out at the Pie Shop.

"Mr. T, come take a look." Mrs. Lovett ordered, sitting down across from them and snapping at Sweeney so he would turn.

Glancing at the newspaper, Sweeney read some very interesting information.

_**Jack The Ripper Let A Rip On Fleet Street: Three women found dead, two of them confirmed prostitutes. **_

"I can't believe this!" Mrs. Lovett continued, "It was bad enough with all that going on down in Whitechapel but now it's here too! It's horrible!"

"It's not safe out there!" Anthony agreed, "No more midnight jogs for me."

"Oh, don't worry about Jack The Ripper, he only kills women." Mrs. Lovett reminded, folding her arms.

"Anthony still has to worry then!" Toby laughed, "Remember he wore make-up the other day. Like a girl!"

"I told you Toby that was stage make-up and men wear that too!" Anthony defended, standing up "It was a disguise!"

Toby paid no mind to Anthony's explanation, he rolled over chuckling in his chair, knocking his oatmeal to the floor.

"Toby!" Mrs. Lovett shouted, seeing the mess, "Be more careful! Clean that up!"

"Yes, mum." Toby agreed, he attempted to stop laughing as he crossed the room into the kitchen to fetch a rag to wipe up the spilled contents of his bowl.

Anthony sat down again in his chain, shaking his head and muttering about make up.

"Mr. Todd, do you have anything to say about this?" Mrs. Lovett asked, turning to Sweeney who had returned to watching out the window sulkily, "And what about your breakfast, you haven't touched it. Are you at least going to eat a few bites?"

"No." Sweeney replied shortly.

"Well!" Mrs. Lovett huffed.

She stood up and cleared Anthony and her own empty oatmeal bowls and Sweeney's still full, but no longer steaming, one. She shuffled past Toby who was on the floor cleaning up the spilled food and placed Sweeney's bowl onto the table next to him.

"Mr. Todd is apparently fasting today." Mrs. Lovett sniffed, "Why don't you go ahead and eat his share, Toby dear, since yours fell."

Toby nodded and sat back at the table to eat Sweeney's breakfast for him.

"Anthony." Mrs. Lovett called when standing at the kitchen counter, "Come over here."

Anthony jumped up and sprinted across the room towards who had just summoned him, jiggling the table as he passed.

"Yes ma'am!" Anthony saluted.

"Start rolling this dough, I'm going into the bakehouse to get the oven heating." Mrs. Lovett stated.

Anthony nodded and began his task, although he had no talent in cooking. Once Mrs. Lovett was out of the room and in the bakehouse, Sweeney took his chance to leave and retreated back to his Barber Shop.

* * *

There was a line of tallies, etched into the wooden wall of the Barber Shop right behind the chair.

Each tally represented an agonizingly awful day that had gone by without Sweeney killing someone and the number was getting quite high and steadily growing.

Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street did not like this fact, not one bit.

First he'd been named some great town-hero.

Then he had to deal with fan-mail, parties, being forced into helping more people all the while being too distracted and unable to kill.

And finally, some run of the mill serial-killer had just moved into HIS territory, causing such fuss and mass panic.

"What a novice…" Sweeney muttered to himself as he paced angrily, thinking of Jack The Ripper, "Killing people on the street, having no body disposal method…shameful."

He would have to do something about that…

There was a sharper bang on the Barber Shop door than Sweeney had ever heard before and as soon as Sweeney was about to open it and attack who ever dared interrupt him at eleven o' clock at night, the door was thrust open and seven men stood before him.

"Mr. Todd!" the one in front exclaimed.

"What?" Sweeney barked.

"All the men on Fleet Street are getting together tonight and we're going to go catch that Jack The Ripper before he strikes again." The man explained.

"I don't want to get involved with this." Sweeney replied, although he did want the man in question caught, he wanted to do it himself so he would be able to kill him.

"Well with your renown as a hero, and your experience capturing criminals, we'd feel much better if you came along." The man pleaded, "The streets aren't safe with that killer on the loose, we need all the help we can get!'

"Yes please come, Mr. Todd!" two voices agreed, Sweeney recognized them as the twin brothers, Saul and Paul he had regrettably met the other day. He couldn't see them, since they were in the back of the clump at his doorstep.

"Why don't you all leave this matter to the police?" Sweeney asked, folding his arms.

"They didn't solve it down in Whitechapel, and they won't here." The man answered, "They're incompetent and under the Judge Turpin, they are corrupt."

Sweeney almost smiled.

Finally someone in this blasted city that understood.

"Alright, I'll go with you." Sweeney stated, "But only tonight."

"Good man." The man nodded, "I'm John, by the way. I run the pub down the street; I saw how you protected that woman and that boy."

"He saved our grandfather, he did!" Paul and Saul piped in.

Sweeney growled.

He didn't like being reminded of his heroic accomplishments.

"Let's just go and catch this guy." He said.

* * *

"This city has certainly gone down in quality these past years."

"I agree, my prince."

"Yes indeed, good doctor. I wish we lived in a better time where the honest serfs worked hard and the King had the power. But sadly, that day is gone."

"It is, but it will return. And the first step is ridding fair London of the filth of the streets, the prostitutes and the beggars."

"Tonight, my friends, we continue until the final solution is complete."

"God save the Queen!"

Four men parted ways in the dark alley they had met and rushed off into the streets of London.

* * *

The party of eight men had traveled around the Fleet Street area but found no clues or suspects to the murders attributed to Jack The Ripper.

Then men stopped and stood in a circle to talk.

"We've been walking around for hours." Saul complained.

"Yet have found nothing at all." Paul added.

"We've gotta keep trying." John countered, "What if we pack up and go home and then someone gets killed. What would we do then?!"

Just as the men were about to continue on, Sweeney's two least favorite people strode up to them.

"Good evening, men." The Beadle greeted, tipping his hat.

"I see you eight have a noble intention." Turpin began, "But I believe the matter of Jack The Ripper should keep to Law Enforcement. Go home, gentlemen."

"I don't think so!" John shouted, "I'll go home when I see you do something about this!"

"You mustn't speak to the honorable judge that way or could find yourself facing some charges!" The Beadle warned, pointing his cane at John.

Turpin raised a hand and gently pushed the Beadle's cane back down to the pavement.

"Oh but we are doing something, sir." He declared, "I have hired the best detective in all of London to solve this case. I believe you men can go home now, sure that this crime spree will be solved swiftly."

John and Sweeney glared at Turpin and the Beadle, but they and the other group turned to leave.

Once the group had scattered, Judge Turpin called after Sweeney.

"Mr. Todd! A word please!"

Sweeney debated just acting like he didn't hear him and continuing to walk away, but decided just to hear what his worst enemy had to say.

He trudged back to face Turpin and the Beadle.

"What is it…?" he growled.

"The other day, a prisoner named Anthony Hope broke out of jail." The Beadle said, "Some men in the jail were saying that you and that baker were the ones breaking him out."

Sweeney clenched his fists.

"Oh but of course they must be mistaken!" Turpin exclaimed, sneering, "I trust you have no knowledge of Mr. Hope's whereabouts."

"I didn't even know he had been arrested." Sweeney lied.

At that moment, Sweeney had the idea of pulling out his razor and just killing Turpin and the Beadle right there, then gutting them to make it look like Jack the Ripper had committed the crime.

But he didn't know if he could take them both, especially with the Beadle's cane pointed menacingly in his direction.

"Well then, good night Mr. Todd." Turpin said and turned around and began walking away. The Beadle followed him.

As Sweeney walked away, back to the Barber Shop, he knew Turpin was up to something.

* * *

"Where were you!?" Mrs. Lovett shouted angrily.

The moment he had opened the door to his Barber Shop, he found her there hands on her hips, and shaking her head.

"I don't think it's any of your business." Sweeney countered, "Why does it matter?"

"Why does it matter!?" Mrs. Lovett repeated, rolling her eyes and looking up at the ceiling, "Why does it matter, he says! It matters because we were attacked while you were gone!"

"What?" Sweeney asked, taken aback.

"Three goons burst in, in the middle of the night, they did! Looking for Anthony!" Mrs. Lovett explained, almost in tears of exasperation "They had clubs, they meant to beat him to death. Now me and Toby fended them off as best we could, and they finally left, but not before tearing the place up! Even your place too if you light a candle to see!"

Mrs. Lovett grabbed a lantern and lit it, illuminating the room and showing Sweeney that his entire shop had been torn up.

"It's lucky they didn't find the trap door. I followed them up here, sat down in the chair the whole time to make sure!" Mrs. Lovett continued, "They even checked the bakehouse too! God knows what would've happened if I hadn't chopped the last one up earlier tonight! It was a disaster! Toby and Anthony are still cleaning up the mess downstairs!"

"They didn't catch him?" Sweeney asked.

"No!" Mrs. Lovett shook her head, "I was smart! I had Toby hide him down there in the sewers. Those three barbarians never even thought to look there. Though when they were gone, Anthony did come up vomiting, couldn't take the smell that boy."

Sweeney didn't reply to that, instead he scanned the room.

He didn't own much, but his table was toppled on the floor, he rarely used bed was stripped, it's mattress against the wall and his pillow had its stuffing pouring out.

Sweeney looked back over to Mrs. Lovett, who shrugged.

He furrowed his brow and she jumped up.

"Oh right!" she began, "We better clean this mess up!"

And so she started around the room, attempting to return it to some kind over order while Sweeney crossed the room and sank down into his barber chair.

* * *

It's them (look down). I looked up Jack the Ripper on Wikipedia and decided to make it a team effort for purification by Royalty. Please review.

-Prince Albert Victor

-Sir John Williams doctor to princess

-James Kenneth Stephen tutor

-Sir William Gull doctor to queen

Please review!


	9. Holmes, Watson And Todd On The Case

Well here we go again, please read I hope you like it!!!!

* * *

Everyone was tired that morning and so suffered from the usual results of lack of sleep.

They had all stayed up cleaning the mess caused by Turpin's thugs who had come looking for Anthony, but were unable to sleep in because the Pie Shop still had to open on time.

"What is taking that damn man so long I told him to get down here five minutes ago!" Mrs. Lovett exclaimed as she stomped through the kitchen, "If he thinks I'm going to bring up his food to him today he's in for the shock of his life. I have a restaurant to run!"

Anthony, who was wearing the disguise he had planned to use on Judge Turpin minus the make-up, was cowering at the table.

His spoon trembled in his hand and each bit of porridge he attempted to lift to his mouth would drip on to the wooden table.

"Oh and what do you think you're doing, Anthony!?" Mrs. Lovett continued, when she saw what was going on, "I take you in, hide you from the law, feed you and what's the thanks I get! You spill your food and make more of a mess for me!"

"Sorry!" Anthony apologized nervously.

He attempted to clean up with his napkin, but only made the situation worse by leaning over the table and draping his fake curly beard into the bowl.

Mrs. Lovett clenched her fists and shook her head, returning to the kitchen where she was rolling dough for the pie crusts.

"MR. TODD!" she shouted, " get down here and eat your breakfast now!"

When Mrs. Lovett received no answer, she smacked her rolling pin down on the dough and glared around the room.

"TOBY!" she shrilled, then muttered to herself, "Where is that lazy brat!"

Toby stumbled into the room, disheveled, a bottle of gin clasped loosely in his fingers with only a drop or two left.

"Whaddaya wan mum?" he asked, downing the last bit.

"Gin!" Mrs. Lovett cried, "At this hour!? What are you thinking, boy? Straighten yourself up and get Mr. Todd to get down here. You're drinking me out of house and home!"

"Why don't you tell Anthony to do it!" Toby slurred, burping, "It's because of him we was up all night!"

He then turned to the table where Anthony sat and laughed, calling "Anthony! I know that's you! That beard won't fool anyone, I'm going to tell the Judge!"

Anthony ducked under the table, knocking over the bowl of porridge and further inflaming the situation.

"You don't speak to your elders like that! If I tell you to do something, Toby, it would best be done! Now!" Mrs. Lovett retorted, grabbing Toby by the collar and shooing him out of the door in the direction of the Barber Shop, "And you open your mouth like that to me again you'll find yourself back in that workhouse and missing a tongue!"

Grumbling, Toby was about to ascend the stairs to the Barber Shop when Sweeney came stomping down the stairs, pushing Toby out of his way as he entered the Pie Shop.

"What's all this ruckus!?" He yelled, "Can't a man get some peace around here!? Your yelling probably woke up the whole of Fleet Street."

"Well I wouldn't have had to yell if you had come down here in the first place!" Mrs. Lovett responded, going back to roll the dough again, "Now sit down and eat! Your food is getting cold."

Sweeney grudgingly did as he was told, but as he sat down he saw that Anthony was wearing a beard stained with porridge and hiding under the table, shivering in fear.

"What the hell are you doing down there?" he demanded, "Get up! Now!"

In his haste to return to his seat, Anthony shot up from the floor under the table and knocked over table, throwing both bowls to the floor and putting the table on it's side.

Mrs. Lovett didn't need to use many words to voice her anger at this.

She merely pointed at the door and growled, "Get. Out."

* * *

The Honorable Judge Turpin (with all sarcasm implied) was reclining in the expensive leather and mahogany arm chair, talking with the three men who worked for him as hired muscle.

As usual, the Beadle was at his side.

"I want you to stay on the place all day." He said, "I know they're hiding him somewhere."

"Yes sir." The leader of the three men agreed, nodding.

"I want one of you with Mrs. Lovett and Mr. Todd at all time and one of you keep your eyes on that boy there too." Turpin continued, "Don't let them out of your sight and one of them will lead you to Anthony. And when you do find him, bring him to me."

"Yes sir." All the muscle replied.

The three thugs left the office and closed the door behind them.

"That Todd is just too suspicious." The Beadle stated, "The whole of Fleet Street's just a shady part of town."

"Yes many of the worst criminals come from that street." Turpin added, " And I know Todd was a friend of Anthony's. And that baker woman's suspicious too, she was landlady to Benjamin Barker and tried to hide the infant Joanna when I came for her."

"Yes." The Beadle agreed, "And rumor has it she uses some questionable ingredients for her pies. Cats and dogs and the like."

"And when I invited them over some of my silver went missing!" Turpin commented, pounding his rosewood desk, "I know it was that street boy they took in who stole it!"

"Fleet Street just breeds the worst of people, it does." The Beadle shook his head.

"That's why if Anthony is spotted there, I'll hang them all, 'heroes' or not!" Turpin declared.

The judge and beadle laughed evilly together.

* * *

John the Pub owner was using his mid-morning to carry up cartons alcoholic beverages from his cellar to the bar area when he heard a knock on the locked door.

"I'll BE RIGHT THERE!" he shouted up from the lower floor, as he began to walk upstairs.

But before he could get into the main room, set down the carton he was lifting and answer the door, John heard a _SMASH_ and arrived into the main area of the pub to see his front door kicked down and two well dressed gentlemen poking around with magnifying glasses.

"HEY YOU!" John shouted, slamming down the carton on the bar and running over to the men, "WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING IN HERE!? WHO ARE YOU!?"

"I believe I am the one who will be asking the questions." The taller of the two men declared, straightening his jacket as his companion moved to stand at his side, "My name, good sir, is Sherlock Holmes and this here is my associate and good friend John Watson."

Holmes pulled out a pipe and began to smoke.

John's jaw dropped in disbelief.

* * *

Sweeney, being already all too easy to annoy, was becoming ever extremely annoyed at what he was seeing from his Barber Shop window.

As he watched man devouring man at the outdoor tables of the Pie Shop, Mrs. Lovett, Toby and Anthony in his 'Frenchman' costume bustle in and out and around.

Sweeney also saw three burly men loitering around the area, looking around.

One was sitting at a table, eating a pie slowly as to watch Mrs. Lovett walk around waiting tables and taking orders.

Another was at the gates of the establishment, watching Toby run back and fourth.

And the third, much to Sweeney's aggravation, was sitting on the stairs leading to his shop, blocking people from coming up for a shave, and staring in the window, _watching him. _

Shaking his head at the sight, Sweeney growled, stuffed his razor in his pocket and decided to get to the bottom of this.

He exited the Barber shop and stomped down half the stairs, stopping when he reached his observer.

"You're scaring away my customers." He barked, "Go find somewhere else to put your arse."

At that comment, the muscular observer rose and turned to face Sweeney.

"I'm just fine right where I'm at, I am." He replied, "You wanna move me, go ahead and try!"

"You're trespassing on private property." Sweeney stated, "You're breaking the law, leave."

"I'm not breaking any laws." the man spat, "I've got full permission to be here! Orders from the Honorable Judge Turpin himself!"

Hearing the name of his archenemy, Sweeney gripped his razor angrily.

_So that swine was behind this. _

_But for what reason would Turpin want to have his goons watch him, Mrs. Lovett and Toby? _

_He must still be on the search for Anthony. _

Sweeney glanced past the goon over at the disguised Anthony, fumbling with plates and pies in the table area.

Apparently the goons hadn't realized who that curly-bearded Frenchman was and so were waiting for someone to lead them to Anthony.

Knowing that the only way to get Turpin's goons to leave would be sending them off on a wild goose chase.

He would give them a false lead about Anthony.

"Well you can tell Judge Turpin that he should be worrying about that Anthony Hope boy who escaped prison, not me." Sweeney told the muscular man, "I hear he's down by the docks, trying to sneak on board a ship and leave the country."

"Oh really now?" the goon asked, "I think I'll go tell him. Thanks for the information."

The goon then turned, bounded down the stairs and called to his fellows to follow him as he left Fleet Street.

Once all three were gone, Sweeney, satisfied, returned to his Barber Shop and enjoyed a nice day of murdering patrons for lunchmeat.

* * *

Standing at the docks, with a frown on his wrinkled face and growing ever more impatient, was Judge Turpin.

The Beadle walked hurriedly up to him, using his cane to increase his speed, with a matching expression on his face.

"Well did you find him?!" Turpin demanded.

"He wasn't here!" The Beadle replied, shaking his head, "The boys and I looked in every ship but there was no sign of him."

"Damn it!" Turpin cursed, "Todd was lying! I should have known! Now all this time we've been looking in the ships, Anthony's had the chance to escape!"

The three goons ran up to where Turpin and the Beadle were standing.

"He's not here!" they shouted.

"I know…" Turpin growled, "I KNOW! Go find him now!"

The goons nodded and ran off.

"Those three are useless! They should have found him by now!" Turpin complained, practically whining, "It's because of them we were fooled. So stupid, he couldn't tell that barber was lying!"

"Would you like me to do something about them?" The Beadle ventured, leaning on his cane "They can have an unfortunate 'accident'. I'm sure it would make you feel better."

"Why yes, yes I would." Turpin nodded, a grin forming on his face.

"Well I should go attend to that matter, then." The Beadle stated and then walked away.

Turpin also began walking away.

Although he was angered and annoyed that Anthony hadn't been located yet, the very fact that he wasn't at the docks proved that Sweeney Todd was harboring him.

Now, Turpin could kill two birds with one stone.

Strike that, three…no four.

Anthony, Todd, the baker woman, and the street boy.

He'd summon the last three all to his office and beat the whereabouts of Anthony out of them if he had to.

And then when Anthony had been finally found, they all would be hung and his problems would be over.

Smiling and plotting, Turpin continued down the streets of London until he came to the market area where he saw Detectives Holmes and Watson walking towards him.

"Gentlemen." Turpin greeted.

"Judge Turpin." Holmes and Watson responded, nodding.

"Any leads yet on the Ripper case?" Turpin inquired.

"Yes actually." Sherlock Holmes stated, "Tell him, Watson."

"We visted the coroner's office." Watson stated, "And I, being a doctor, found that the manners and the times of deaths of the three victims from two nights ago were remarkably close."

"Well that just confirms what we already believed." Turpin stated, "That this is indeed a serial."

"Yes… and no." Holmes countered, dramatically, pulling out his pipe and allowing Watson to light it for him.

"Yes because the causes of deaths were all exactly the same, a single slit on the throat being the cause in addition to post-mortem abdominal mutilation." Watson began.

"And no…" Holmes continued, "Because the three victims were found in locations much too far away from each other for the same person to have committed all the murders in the allotted time span."

"So…?" Turpin asked, confused.

"So, Honorable Judge Turpin, the plot thickens." Holmes declared.

"Because the post-mortem damage and victimology is consistent the murders are indeed connected." Watson explained, "But not all committed by the same culprit."

"Although it obvious because of the small space of time that the culprits, plural, were working together." Holmes decided, " And so now the only two questions left are who are they and why."

"So it's more than one person working together?" Turpin clarified.

"Yes." Watson confirmed, "Three, possibly more."

The Beadle then walked up and joined the three talking men, tipping his hat to the two detectives and then turning to Turpin.

"I'm sorry to tell you this but the three men in your employ, regrettably all went insane at the exact same moment and sadly had to be committed to Fogg's, sir." He whispered, sneering.

"How horrible." Turpin replied, flatly, "Now come, Beadle, the detectives and I justed finished discussing the Ripper case."

"Good day to you both." The Beadle said.

"Keep on the case, gentlemen." Turpin added.

"That is our intention." Holmes replied.

Turpin and the Beadle walked away in the opposite direction of the way Sherlock Holmes and John Watson were going.

As Turpin and the Beadle exited the market place area, Turpin continued to talk.

"Go get Mr. Todd, the baker and their little brat and tell them to come to my office." He ordered, "We're dealing with them and Anthony tonight."

"Will do, sir." The Beadle agreed, falling out of step with Turpin turning to go in the direction of Fleet Street

* * *

The sun had almost finished setting and four shadowy figures stood in an alley, just as they had the other night.

But before their meeting could begin, they overheard two men talking and walking as the passed the alley way.

"It seems funny to me, Holmes, that the murder of prostitutes would get such a response out of a judge." Watson stated, furrowing his brow and taking in a deep breath, "Normally those in a position of such wealth and status wouldn't care if the common folk were killed."

"Well it's elementary, dear Watson." Holmes laughed, patting Watson on the back "From the obvious ware and tare on the buttons of the honorable Judge Turpin's pants, it's easy to tell that he solicits working women quite often."

"Although that explains why Turpin would want a prostitute-killer, or killers, caught…" Watson responded, a smile creeping on his face "It does little to explain why you were looking long enough to see the condition of the crotch area of a man's pants."

The two detectives were silent for a moment, avoiding each other's eyes, until they both burst out laughing.

"Touché." Holmes conceded.

And then the two men were out of sight, leaving the shadowy figures in the alley alone again.

"My prince! That was Sherlock Holmes and John Watson!" one figure exclaimed, "Legendary detectives."

"They already figured out that there was more than one killer." Another piped in, "They'll soon trace it back to us and then what? We'll be ruined! It will be chaos!

"The good doctor's right! It could incite a revolution!" a third figure agreed, "The people already are leaning dangerously towards the American approach. We fear for old England enough and if we get caught things will only be worse."

"Calm yourselves, gentlemen. We won't be caught." The final shadowy figure declared, " Those detectives were talking about the man who hired them. Judge Turpin. I've heard of him. We'll get him to take care of them for us."

"Good idea, my prince!" the other figures agreed, "God save the queen!"

* * *

And please review too!


	10. Purification

Here's another chapter, please read, enjoy and review.

* * *

It was just past eight o' clock at night.

Not late, but late enough that the courthouse was closed and empty.

Judge Turpin had the entire stone building to himself because although it was locked, he was a judge and so had a key.

And it was the perfect place to have a violent interrogation in secret without any interruptions.

Only one small lamp lit Turpin's spacious office as he sat reclining with his feet propped up on his expensive mahogany desk, waiting for the Beadle to return with the three people he had sent him to get.

But Judge Turpin wasn't the only one with keys to the London courthouse.

At first, the Judge wrote off the sound of footsteps in the hall as mere echoes, but they continued and soon Turpin began to realize how creepy the courthouse was without all the other judges, lawyers, defendants, and spectators.

And just as he was standing up, deciding to go lock his door until the Beadle came, the small lamp light went out.

The office was suddenly dark.

Someone had just turned off the light.

Turpin felt hands on his shoulders push him back down into his seat and heard a third person shut the door and click the lock.

"Who's there?" he demanded, his voice cracking and timid.

Before him, in the grainy darkness, Turpin could make out the shadowy figure of a man standing.

"Honorable Judge Turpin, we would like to have a word with you…"

* * *

"I finished washing the dishes." Anthony declared, still dressed in his curly-beard costume, "And I only broke three."

"Well that's a start at least…" Mrs. Lovett replied, rolling her eyes.

They were standing in the kitchen, where Mrs. Lovett was cooking dinner and Anthony was standing, holding a stack of plates and utensils, that hid his face, quite precariously.

"What should I do with them?" Anthony asked, nervously "Should I give them to you?"

"Just wait a minute!" Mrs. Lovett exclaimed, exasperatedly, "I have my hands full right now."

The pot of tea was whistling and as soon as she had rushed to attend to it, the pot of soup began to bubble over and she almost tripped on a something small and furry that was scurrying across the floor.

"…uh…ok." Anthony agreed, cautiously as he tried to keep the pile of plates balanced.

Toby entered the room, his arms occupied as well.

"I folded all the table cloths and I'm going to put them in the laundry room!" he stated as he passed by, also almost tripping on the tiny animal rushing around the room, "And by the way, mum, there's a rat in here!"

"I know dear!" Mrs. Lovett called after Toby as he exited the room.

"Did he just say…rat?" Anthony asked, looking down at the floor and seeing what confirmed his question and then gulping.

"You're not scared are you?" Toby snickered, coming back into the room, "I thought you was a sailor, aren't there always rats and things on boats?"

"Yes." Anthony grimaced, the plates in his hands shaking, "They used to bite my toes when I slept…"

Toby laughed at what Anthony said, but Mrs. Lovett paid no attention to the two boys' conversation and instead poured tea into cups and soup into bowls.

"Where's Mr. Todd?" she inquired, "Have either of you seen him?"

"No." Anthony replied, his face still hidden by the stack of dishes.

"I saw him walk out about a half an hour ago while I was clearing the tables outside." Toby answered, as he helped Mrs. Lovett bring the meal to the table, " Don't know where he went though…"

"Oh what am I going to do…" Mrs. Lovett sighed agitatedly, hands on her hips, "Let's just eat without him then. There's no way to find him. Hopefully he'll come back."

But before the three of them could sit down to eat dinner, the Beadle marched into the room cane tapping on the floor threateningly.

"Evening barber." He greeted, grinning evilly.

"If you're looking for Mr. Todd, he's not here." Mrs. Lovett stated, turning to face the Beadle, hands on her hips.

"Who's that behind the plates, then?" The Beadle demanded, pointing at Anthony.

Anthony, who was already frozen in fear, was unable to even murmur a response to the Beadle's question.

"Oh that's--!" Toby was interrupted by Mrs. Lovett smacking a hand over his mouth.

"Why that's just a visitor…from France…" she lied, "You have to forgive him, he doesn't speak english."

"That so?" The Beadle replied, taken aback, "Well nevermind that then, you, Mr. Todd and the boy are all required to come to the Honorable Judge Turpin's office immediately."

"I don't think we're required to do anything." Mrs. Lovett countered, glaring at the Beadle, "Leave now."

"Oh I will, and you two will be coming with me." The Beadle declared, "One way or another."

The Beadle lifting his cane and pointed it at Mrs. Lovett who grabbed her rolling pin and directed it at the Beadle.

Toby lifted up a knife from the dinning table and also pointed it in the direction of the Beadle.

Anthony just stood completely still and stiff as a cadaver.

But just as it looked as if there was going to be a fight in the Pie Shop that night, two tall, bald, muscular men stomped into the room flexing.

"The three men who paid you a visit the other night had an unfortunate accident." The Beadle began, "These two are the men who caused that accident."

(What really happened to those goons? The Beadle keeps changing his story.)

The two strong men chuckled menacingly and Toby lowered his knife.

"Now I think it's time you accompany me to Judge Turpin's office." The Beadle stated.

"Fine." Mrs. Lovett conceded, taking Toby's hand "But my rolling pin's coming with me."

* * *

Sweeney had searched every street corner.

He had checked the entire red light district and every other bad neighborhood he could think of but all to no avail.

Jack the Ripper was nowhere to be found.

In fact, the streets were all but deserted.

It was barely nine but almost everyone, for fear of the killer, had stayed in that night.

Just as Sweeney was about to give up and head back to the Barber Shop, he saw a man walking in the distance towards him.

It might be just who he was looking for.

So Sweeney walked towards him.

When the two men met face to face, they stood silently, looking through the dark at each other for a short moment before speaking.

"Lovely evening, isn't it." Sweeney began, pulling out his razor from his pocket and caressing it between his fingers.

"Mr. Todd." The man, who was very burly, responded.

Sweeney was taken aback at the fact that the man knew his name, so decided to see how the man knew him and what he wanted.

"Judge Turpin wants to meet with you tonight." The burly man continued, "That baker and kid are already there."

"Really." Sweeney said, surprised and then angered.

_What could that vile Judge want now? _

"Allow me to escort you to his courthouse office." The man finished.

"That won't be at all necessary." Sweeney replied, falsely polite.

Before the strong man could insist, Sweeney stabbed him in the stomach and then proceeded to rip his razor through the man's body until it came out the man's head, effectively cutting him in half from the waste up.

Blood spattered all over him, but Sweeney didn't care, and it was too dark to be seen anyway.

Sure, just a slit throat or single stab could have done the guy in.

Sure, it might have been overkill.

But Sweeney was in a bad mood that night, and a worse mood than usual.

He had to relieve the stress somehow.

Now, leaving the body to sputter and drop down in the darkness, Sweeney turned to go to the courthouse and deal with whatever trouble Judge Turpin was making for him this time.

* * *

Lucy Barker had searched every street corner.

She had checked the entire red light district and every other bad neighborhood she could think of but all to no avail.

The demon who had accosted her the other night was nowhere to be found.

Lucy could feel the presence all around London.

Demons and black spirits were everywhere.

Like the ones who kept the angel in the window captive.

Or the ones who cooked human beings and served them to human beings.

And now the four who were out for the blood of the broken dolls.

Yes, demons were everywhere and Lucy knew.

She knew because sometimes she was a broken doll.

And because once, a long, long time ago, she was an angel at a window, too.

But none of that matter now because Lucy knew something else too.

She knew that she had to stop the demons and dark spirits before it was too late and they completely took over London.

Two men were approaching Lucy's current alley (she had abandoned her last one when she was attacked by the demon the other night) but she could sense that they were not evil and instead had had a noble intention about them.

In fact, that noble intention she sensed was to hunt down demons.

They could help her.

Lucy jumped out at the men, causing them to jump back and look at her strangely.

"You are looking for demons!" she declared, "I know. I know."

"Holmes," Watson said, turning slightly to his companion, "What do you make of this?"

"Well she's obviously insane, but let's hear what she has to say." Holmes answered.

"I know where they are, I do." Lucy continued.

"Know where who are?" Holmes asked, leaning in and looking Lucy once over.

"The demons, of course!" Lucy declared like it was the most apparent thing in the world, "I just told you, now weren't you listening?"

"Holmes let's just go." Watson suggested, turning to walk away, "We don't have time for this."

"No." Holmes countered, pulling his associate back, "She might be on to something."

"Well as I was saying," Lucy began, "I know where the demons are and I know you're looking for them. The ones who kill the dolls…"

"See, Watson, she's talking about the Ripper case." Holmes whispered.

"…and the ones who grind the bones to make their bread." Lucy added.

"And now she's talking crazy." Watson responded, also in a whisper.

"Ma'am…" Sherlock Holmes started, his interest sparked, "Tell me more about the ones who grind bones, please."

"Why?!" Watson barked, "That doesn't even have anything to do with the case."

"Elementary, my dear Watson." Holmes explained, "I'm curious."

Watson sighed and shook his head.

"It's the devil and his wife!" Lucy declared, "They feed the eggs to the chickens, the veal to the cow, the ham to the pigs!"

"My god…" Watson muttered, "She's talking about cannibalism."

"Oh that's just crazy talk." Holmes shrugged, rolling his eyes, "Let's just go, Watson."

He began to walk away, gesturing for Watson to follow him.

"But, Holmes, wait!" Watson called after him, "This could be true! It's not unheard of!"

"We have a case to worry about, we don't have time to speculate about some mad woman's ravings!" Holmes shouted back, as he walked away, not even turning around to face him.

"Where, does this happen?" Watson asked Lucy as he turned to go.

"Fleet street!" Lucy answered, "The devil and his wife live on fleet street! He cuts the beard off the chin and the head off the neck!"

Watson nodded, then ran to catch up with his fellow detective.

* * *

"What do you all want?" Turpin managed to choke out despite his fear of the shadowy figures.

He was sweating now, causing an unpleasant smell for the shadowy figure keeping him in his chair.

"Why the same thing as you do, judge." The man replied, "We've seen the records of your exploits and are quite impressed. You've done so much good for our great city, sending its vermin and trash to hang. We can tell that you only want the best for London, and so do we."

"Don't kill me!" Turpin begged, still extremely frightened "I can pay you!"

Rolling his eyes, the leader of the shadowy figures continued, "Please good judge, we mean no harm. We are all the same here; we are all Saints, warriors sent by God to purify this city of its demons and save the Queen. And all we ask of you is one thing."

"What do you want from me!?" Turpin cried.

So far the ramblings of the men who he couldn't even see due to the darkness had mad absolutely no sense to him at all.

Turpin's only hope now was that the Beadle would get here soon and whack the guys with his cane.

"All we want is for you to get Sherlock Holmes off the case and send him away." The shadowy figure explained, "And turn a blind eye to the recent string of murders in this area, I assure you they are all for the best as I know you can understand. Prostitutes are the lowest abominations and need to be sent back down to Hell."

"Alright, alright!" Turpin shouted, "I'll do it! I'll do whatever you say! Just don't kill me!"

"Then, judge, we have a deal."

Through the dark, the shadowy figure extended a hand for Judge Turpin to shake.

But before Turpin could take it, footsteps and voices were heard faintly outside down the hall.

"Someone's out there!" the shadowy figure guarding the door declared.

"It was a set up!" the figure who turned out the lamp exclaimed.

"Doctor, Professor! Go out there and take care of them!" the leader of the shadowy figures ordered, retracting his extended arm.

The two men who had spoken opened the door to Turpin's office and rushed out into the hall.

The man holding Turpin down in his chair and the one talking to him remained in the room.

The latter went over to the door and closed it again, locking it.

"I thought that we were alike, you and I, crusaders for the good of England, sending the demons back to hell." He stated, walking towards Turpin, "I thought I could trust you, I tried to be diplomatic with you, judge. But it seems I must resort to alternative methods."

"No!" Turpin yelled, "I didn't set you up! I don't even know who's out there! I have nothing to do with that! Let me go!"

The hands clasped tightly around his shoulders shoved him farther down into his chair as the shadowy figure continued to approach through the blackness in a threatening manner.

* * *

"The courthouse is obviously closed!" Mrs. Lovett complained, "Turpin can't possibly be allowed to summon people here after hours."

"The Honorable Judge Turpin can do as he pleases." The Beadle declared, "He IS the law."

The Beadle was leading Mrs. Lovett and Toby down one of the many darkened corridors of the London Courthouse towards Turpin's office.

Mrs. Lovett and Toby were being all but dragged by the two new muscular goons and were unable to get free.

"Where is the third one, he should have been here by now with Todd?" The Beadle wondered aloud, "I sent him to go find that barber an hour ago."

"Mr. Todd will take care of your third guy and then come and get us out of here!" Mrs. Lovett predicted, struggling to escape from the grasp of the man holding her.

"Stay still and shut up." He warned.

"No, Judge Turpin will be taking care of all of you tonight." The Beadle countered, "Permanently."

Toby gulped.

Before Mrs. Lovett could retort or think of a new plan to get free, two figures came running at the group from the darkness of the hallway ahead.

"What's going on here!?" The Beadle exclaimed, readying his cane and scanning the black to try and get a better look at the oncoming attackers.

"Who are you?" One of the shadowy figures, the doctor, demanded.

"And what are you doing here?" the other, the professor demanded.

"I should be asking you two that!" The Beadle shouted angrily, "This Courthouse is the very property of the government and the Queen herself! The Honorable Judge Turpin won't be happy to find out you were trespassing here!"

"The judge is being dealt with as we speak." The professor stated.

The Beadle's jaw dropped and then his face turned red with fury.

_How dare someone try to 'deal with' the Honorable Judge Turpin. _

"Get them!" he commanded to his two goons.

The goons dropped Mrs. Lovett and Toby and flexed their muscles threateningly as they marched towards the two shadowy figures.

The shadowy figures in turn got out knives and waved them menacingly at the goons.

Mrs. Lovett grabbed Toby's hand and pulled him along as they both ran down the hallway in the direction they had just came from to get away from the impending fight.

The Beadle saw their attempted escape and ran past his goons who were locked in combat with the shadowy figures and after the baker and her adopted son.

* * *

Please review!


	11. Sweeney's Territory

I'm one review short but I decided to post anyway because I'm so bored...please review...oh yeah and read too.

* * *

Since it was late and the fear of murderers was at an all-time high, Fleet Street was dark, save for a sole light coming from the Pie Shop on the corner.

Suspicious.

Sherlock Holmes and John Watson entered the shop to find someone standing motionless in the middle of the room holding a stack of plates that entirely hid his face from view.

Also suspicious.

And upon closer inspection and removal of the plates, they found that the young man's face was covered by a curly beard, a mustache and what looked to be stage make-up including lip stick and white powder.

Very suspicious.

With a snap of his finger, Holmes awoke Anthony, who jumped back in alarm at seeing two strangers in the Pie Shop.

"Sleeping why standing up right is a rare talent, my boy." Holmes stated, "And sleeping while holding a pile of dishes is even rarer."

"No hablo ingles!" Anthony lied frantically, "Yo soy de France!"

Anthony had no idea who the two detectives were and what they wanted, but the last thing he needed was them to figure out who he really was and alert Judge Turpin to his whereabouts.

"If you're from France…" Watson began, walking over from where he had set down the plates after taking them out of Anthony's hands.

"…why are you speaking Spanish?" Holmes finished.

Both detectives stood before Anthony, staring him down, arms folded, stroking their chins dramatically in contemplation.

Anthony started to quiver.

Despite his best efforts, his charade was falling apart.

* * *

"Get back here!" The Beadle shouted as he attempted to pursue Mrs. Lovett and Toby through the un-lit halls of the Courthouse.

Mrs. Lovett and Toby turned a corner and ducked behind a marble pillar to catch their breath.

"He's getting tired mum." Toby whispered, "He's too fat to keep chasing us, he'll give up soon."

"You're right." Mrs. Lovett agreed, "But I've never been in here before. I have no idea where we are or how to get out of this blasted Courthouse. And it really doesn't help that its pitch dark. He'll find us eventually if we keep running blind."

"I know you're in here!"

They heard the Beadle's voice once again and knew they had to keep going.

"What are we gonna do, mum!?" Toby asked as they ran down the corridor.

"I'm thinking." Mrs. Lovett replied.

She was sure they had been going in circles.

Everything looked the same in the dark and every time she thought they had gotten away from the Beadle, he'd jump out at them again and the chase would continue.

What to do, what to do.

And that's when Mrs. Lovett got a brilliant idea.

All this time she and Toby had been running around trying to find the exit of the Courthouse when all they really needed was a window.

If they could find a window low enough to the ground an big enough to crawl through, they could go out that way and the Beadle would still be running around the Courthouse trying to find them.

A simple but perfect solution.

"Come on Toby!" Mrs. Lovett urged, gripping the boy's hand tighter as they hurried, "Let's go find a window."

* * *

Ever since his stint in the Australian prison island, Sweeney had had no problem seeing in the dark.

His eyes were perfectly adjusted and in fact he rather preferred the dark to the offensive lights and colors of daytime.

So Sweeney's only trouble now was finding Judge Turpin's office in whole expanse of the London Courthouse.

It was a big stone building filled with hundreds of rooms of every shape, size and purpose and through all of those many rooms, Sweeney had to locate one.

Razor drawn and at the ready, Sweeney stalked through the corridors one after another but found each room to be dark.

_Could the man he had killed have been lying about Turpin keeping Mrs. Lovett and Toby in his office and wanting to meet with him there? _

_He should have checked the Pie Shop first, to see if they were there. _

_This could all be a trap or just a wild goose chase. _

_Turpin could be trying to frame him as Jack The Ripper by having him walk around at night_.

But when Sweeney came upon the corpses of two burly men who looked a lot like the one who had told him to come here, he became even more confused and of course, angry.

The dead bodies' throats were slit professionally but there were other slash marks on their bodies that indicated a struggle.

No doubt Turpin was somehow behind this and was going to try to accuse him of these murders.

Sweeney then knew what he had to do.

Find Turpin's office and kill Turpin once and for all, regardless of the consequences.

He was sick of wasting time killing random people in his barber shop and dealing with people thinking he's a hero.

He was ending it all tonight.

* * *

Turpin jerked around in his chair frantically but was unable to break free of the man holding him down.

All four shadowy figures were again in the pitch-black office, gathered around the desk where he was being held captive.

"No please! God!" Turpin cried, "I'll do anything! I swear! Please! Just don't hurt me! Don't kill me! I'll do whatever you want!"

The shadowy figure brought out a knife and positioned it close to the Judge's throat.

"You could have been on our side, on the side of London, on the side of England and the Queen!" the figure declared, "But no. You had to go and invite guests here and compromise my entire plan!"

"I didn't! I swear!" Turpin begged, "Don't!"

"You will die just like all the filth---"

But before the shadowy figure could finish his sentence and stab Turpin, the door to the room burst open, causing all the figures to jump up and turn to see who it was.

Sweeney Todd had kicked down the door and was standing there, wildly brandishing a razor.

"Mr. Todd!" Turpin exclaimed.

He was angry and unnerved to see that Sweeney had kicked down his door and come to attack him with a razor, but happy nonetheless due to the current circumstances being that Sweeney had just saved his life.

"You know this man?!" the doctor demanded.

"See, he gets more people to ruin our plans!" The leader of the figures declared, then pointed at Sweeney, "Kill him!"

Just as three of the shadowy figures were advancing on Sweeney, Mrs. Lovett and Toby came dashing into the room looking for a window but instead finding a fight.

Instantly, Mrs. Lovett struck the closest shadowy figure, the professor, down and out cold with her rolling pin, not even bothering to ask any questions as to what was going on.

That caused the remaining three figures to run at her, all with knives but Sweeney and Toby both got in the way to protect her, Sweeney's razor blocking the leader's knife.

The Beadle, who had followed Mrs. Lovett and Toby into the office, took care of the doctor with his trusty cane, sending him swiftly to the floor also unconscious, leaving only two shadowy figures remaining.

And during all this confusion, the Honorable Judge Turpin was able to slip past the shadowy figures (since he was no longer being held down) and run out of his office and down the hall.

Seeing this, the leader of the shadowy figures gestured to his last conscious follower to attack Sweeney while he went to go after the fleeing Turpin.

Sweeney didn't really care at all who the shadowy figures were or what they were up to, but what he did care about was the fact that they were about to murder Judge Turpin and destroy his plans for revenge forever.

No one was allowed to murder Turpin except Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber Of Fleet Street.

No one.

Signaling to Mrs. Lovett to deal with the final knife-wielding figure, Sweeney also rushed out of the office to pursue Turpin and the man chasing him.

At the same moment, Mrs. Lovett and the Beadle both smacked the shadowy figure to the ground with their weapons of choice.

Once the last assailant was on the floor, Toby kneeled down and picked the pockets of each one.

He managed to steal around hundred dollars before the Beadle called him a filthy street thief and Mrs. Lovett grabbed him and ran out of the room. ( After, of course, rapping the Beadle on his head with her rolling pin.)

* * *

Sweeney had run down the hall at top speed for three minutes before finally catching up to the leader of the shadowy figures that was also chasing after Turpin, who was nowhere in sight.

He grabbed the figure by the back of his coat and spun him around.

Razor met knife and so neither man was able to harm the other.

"I'm purifying this city and no one will stand in my way!" the shadowy man declared, his blade screeching against Sweeney's.

"I don't give a damn about that!" Sweeney countered, "But no one kills the judge. Only I get to do that. And I will kill him and have my revenge!"

"And I don't give a damn about _that_!" the figure retorted, "That judge and you as well, Mr. Todd was it? You Both need to learn a lesson about crossing me! I have plans for this city, plans for the whole of England and no one's going to stop me!"

The two men were still at a stalemate, their weapons grating together, neither giving way to the other.

"Like I said." Sweeney repeated, growling, "I don't care about that. But the judge is mine and so is Fleet Street. You can have the rest of this putrid city for all I care, but stay out my territory!"

With that, Sweeney used his razor to push his opponent's knife back, causing both weapons to slash the shadowy figure and send him falling him to the hard stone floor.

"Now if you'll excuse me," Sweeney feigned, stepping around the bleeding body on the floor and continuing down the corridor, "I have a judge to kill."

* * *

Once Judge Turpin had been able to exit his office, he had used a secret tunnel to escape to Courthouse, that only judges knew about and was meant for such occasions where a judge would have to make a hasty retreat.

Outside on the steps of the massive building Turpin was catching his breath when he heard footsteps behind him.

"TURPIN!"

Just as he was about to run again, Turpin heard the voice of Sweeney Todd instead of the shadowy figure trying to kill him and so turned around to face him.

"You've lived up to your reputation as a hero yet again, Mr. Todd." He stated, "Saving me and all that. But it does make me wonder why you burst into my office like that in the first place."

"Oh that's all going to become incredibly clear incredibly soon." Sweeney replied, not even trying to conceal the threat in his voice and the cruel grin on his face as he walked down the stairs towards the judge.

But it was common knowledge that whenever Sweeney Todd would be a hair away from exacting his revenge on Judge Turpin, he would be interrupted.

"Mr. Todd! Mr. Todd!"

By Anthony.

Both Sweeney and Turpin turned to see Anthony, Sherlock Holmes, Watson, Mrs. Lovett, Toby all running towards the steps where they stood.

"Anthony…" Sweeney growled under his breath, clenching his fists, "What the _hell _are you doing here."

Anthony, seeing Judge Turpin quickly adjusted his curly beard to make sure his identity would not be discovered.

"Who is this Anthony of which you speak?" he asked, "I am Jean Claude Pierre, from France!"

"Holmes, Watson." Turpin exclaimed, "What are you doing here?"

"Solving the case, of course." Holmes declared, "What else?"

"The case?" Turpin asked.

He descended the final steps to join the others and soon Sweeney did the same to the whole group of people stood in a circle to talk.

"The Ripper Case." Watson stated.

"We followed a lead to a Pie Shop where we met this very interesting Spanish-speaking Frenchman who could sleep standing up while holding plates." Holmes continued.

Sweeney, Mrs. Lovett and Toby all looked at Anthony strangely, to which he just smiled sheepishly.

"There we learned that you, Judge Turpin, were holding a meeting here at the courthouse tonight." Watson added.

"And because Sweeney Todd, who is known throughout Fleet Street as a hero was invited to said meeting, we deduced that it must be about finding and apprehending Jack the Ripper." Holmes explained.

"But when we got here we found these two climbing out of a window." Watson continued, gesturing to Mrs. Lovett and Toby, "Once we identified ourselves as detectives, they told us how four shadowy men attacked them, you and Todd. And how they, and especially Sweeney Todd, fought against them."

"We realized that the four men they spoke of must be the ones working together as Jack the Ripper." Holmes finished, "And they all should be still inside the Courthouse so the case is solved."

"Well three of them were knocked out cold when we left them." Mrs. Lovett confirmed, then turned to Sweeney, "As for the last one, Mr. Todd?"

"He won't be moving of his own accord ever again." Sweeney nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets.

There was a moment of silence where everyone looked at Sweeney.

Breaking the silence was Holmes declaring, "Well let's go get them then! Ma'am, you said you left the Beadle there with the bodies so they wouldn't be unattended if they awoke and tried to escape and the fourth one's dead so this will be an easy wrap up."

Mrs. Lovett nodded then said, "Well we'll leave you detectives and the Judge to deal with that. Come one, Mr. Todd, Toby, let's go."

She began to walk away from the Courthouse area, still holding Toby by the hand, with Sweeney trudging after her.

Finding himself alone with Holmes, Watson and Judge Turpin, Anthony quickly ran after the three leaving, calling out for them to wait.

Reluctantly, Turpin lead Holmes and Watson back into the courthouse, hoping no one would find out his original plans for that night.

* * *

Back at the Pie Shop, Mrs. Lovett, Sweeney, Toby and Anthony all sat around the table where the dinner Mrs. Lovett had cooked early sat cold.

"So hopefully we won't be getting anymore trouble from the judge for a while." Mrs. Lovett piped up, "Seeing as how you did save him, Mr. Todd."

Sweeney growled and rolled his eyes, not pleased to be reminded of whom he had saved that night.

"And he couldn't even tell it was me through my disguise!" Anthony declared, "I told you all he wouldn't be able to figure out it was me! I told you!"

"You're still wearing make up." Toby snickered, "Like a girl."

"It's stage make up!" Anthony protested, "All French people wear it!!"

Anthony's words didn't stop Toby's teasing and so finally he just gave up and sunk his bearded face into his arms folded on the table.

Seeing Sweeney still in his sour almost pout, Mrs. Lovett turned to him.

"Cheer up, Mr. T." She said, "At least we won't have to worry about any _'competition'_ on your street anymore. That's a good thing, isn't it, dearie?"

"Yeah, whatever." Sweeney replied unenthusiastically, "As long tomorrow's paper doesn't say how much of a hero I am."

* * *

When Turpin, Holmes and Watson reached the office, instead of finding three unconscious bodies they found only one, the Beadle.

And further down the hall, instead of a corpse, all they found was a small blood stain on the floor.

Needless to say, they were all quiet disturbed and perplexed.

* * *

"This was a major setback in our plan."

"I agree my prince."

"Yes indeed, good doctor. That judge is still alive, Sherlock Holmes is still on the case and that Sweeney Todd fellow seemed like a threat."

"It does look that way, professor. But my prince, what should we do about him and Fleet Street? Should we continue here despite the risk."

"No. London is big, it has many dens of rats. We'll leave Fleet Street alone for now and go back to Whitechapel."

"But my prince, backing down is not like you!"

"Oh I'm not backing down at all, doctor. Rather, just waiting for the right time. Although we leave Fleet Street tonight, we will return."

"God save the Queen!"

* * *

And that ends this 'story arc' please review. Pleas review!


	12. Sweeney Todd Day

**Wow! It's probably been a year. I hope people still read this because here's a new chapter! **

* * *

When Sweeney first heard the shouts and commotion outside he assumed the inhabitants of Fleet Street had finally succumbed to their most primal instincts and started to riot.

He was wrong.

When Sweeny peered out the window of his Barber Shop and looked down upon the people below he found the actual cause of the noise to so much worse.

It was a parade.

Growling and pulling the curtains tight and shut over the windows, Sweeney then turned to lock the door to the Barber Shop so he could further barricade himself in, safe from whatever madness was going on outside.

But before he could do so, Anthony had burst open his door and was into the shop, surprisingly not in costume.

"Mr. Todd! It's wonderful!" he exclaimed, hands waving excitedly.

"Leave now." Sweeney replied, turning hid back to Anthony and heading towards his chair.

"Great idea, let's go outside!" Anthony continued, rushing over to Sweeney's side, "They're having a parade!"

"I'm aware." Sweeney grumbled, "That's why I'm staying in here."

"I know you're quite humble, Mr. Todd, which is one of the many things that makes you such an honorable man!" Anthony replied, patting Sweeney on the back, "But I'm sure you can celebrate just this once! Come on, Mr. Todd! Just this once!"

"Celebrate what?" Sweeney snapped, although fearing Anthony's answer.

"Why you, of course, Mr. Todd!" Anthony declared, "The parade is in your honor. Fleet Street is having a festival for you! You saved all of us from Jack The Ripper, everyone knows!"

Sweeney's eyes widened upon hearing Anthony and then squinted into an even angrier glare than usual.

"Who told them?" He asked, looking Anthony directly in the eye threateningly.

"I did!" Anthony stated, proudly, oblivious to Sweeney's obvious anger, "The parade was my idea!"

Clutching both arms of the Barber Chair as hard as he could to hold himself down was all Sweeney could do to stop himself from pulling out his razor and decapitating Anthony right on the spot.

"Well come on, then!" Anthony called, "Let's go!"

Anthony grabbed Sweeney and attempted to pull him out of the chair while Sweeney will all his might tried to stay seated.

The tug of war went on for a few minutes until the trap door under the chair almost opened so Sweeney had to stand up so that Anthony didn't see it and discover the truth.

Leading Sweeney out of the Barber Shop, Anthony shouted to the crowd, "The guest of honor has arrived."

The parade stopped its march and all the residents of Fleet Street turned and looked up at the Barber Shop to way and cheer for Sweeney Todd.

The bright colors of dancing women's dresses and the off key music of a group of traveling minstrels made 'the guest of honor' almost vomit as Anthony practically pushed him down the Barber Shop stairs and into the masses.

John the Pub owner along with his wife, their daughter and her husband were among the many people gathered on the street and were all serving free drinks from the Pub.

Saul, Paul who now both had full beards, and their grandfather, the old man Sweeney had reluctantly saved, were also there sitting at an outdoor table of the Pie Shop, annoying but not eating.

The Constable and the Fire Captain were leading police officers and firemen, in full uniform, in a formation as part of the parade.

And the beggar woman was running around screaming like a maniac as Toby tried to chase her out of the dining area.

The only person Sweeney noted was missing was Mrs. Lovett but he decided she was probably cooking or something, whatever she does.

But just when Sweeney thought this day couldn't get any worse, he saw Judge Turpin and the Beadle pushing through people and walking right towards him and Anthony.

By the time Anthony, who wasn't in disguise, noticed their arrival it was too late.

He tried to run, but Turpin told him, "You're not going anywhere, boy." And the Beadle stuck out his cane to block Anthony's escape route.

"Eep." Anthony squeaked, getting behind Sweeney to hide.

"I knew you were hiding him here, Mr. Todd." Turpin stated.

"Hiding who?" Sweeney asked sarcastically, pretending to look around, "I don't see anyone here and you don't have any proof. But then again, _Judge_, you've always been quite fond of accusing people of crimes they didn't commit."

"Watch it, Todd." The Beadle warned, poking Sweeney with his cane.

Sweeny lifted his arm and grabbed the cane, yanking it out of the hand of the Beadle, whose mouth opened in surprise.

Sweeney then threw the cane to cobblestone ground, stamped on it, spit on it and kicked it away.

Both the Beadle and Judge Turpin gawked, mouths opening and closing in their loss for words.

"I'm through with this." Sweeney declared.

He had waited too long to kill Turpin.

At this particular moment in time, Sweeney didn't care who would see when he finally ended the lives of the Judge and Beadle once and for all.

The police were only a few yards away, marching around like fools, not even aware of the scene unfolding between Sweeney, Turpin and the Beadle.

In fact, the entire parade and crowd outside had no idea what was going on at all.

Sweeney could kill Turpin, the Beadle and even Anthony right there, right then and no would notice.

And even if someone did and he got caught, Sweeney wouldn't care, it would be worth it.

The only person stopping him from killing the Judge and Beadle out in the open was Mrs. Lovett and she wasn't there.

No one would stop him.

Muttering "finally", Sweeney swiftly pulled out his favorite 'friend' and in one blow slashed both Turpin's and the Beadle's throats, causing them to fall, bleeding, down.

He had done it at last.

Just as Sweeney was about to turn to kill Anthony, the one person he didn't want to see, come running up.

Quickly pocketing his razor, Sweeney stuttered out, "Mrs. Lovett! It isn't what it looks like!"

"Mr. Todd?" Mrs. Lovett said, cocking her head to on side in confusing, "Just what are you talking about?"

Sweeney looked back at the corpses of his worst enemies to find Judge Turpin and the Beadle standing up right and very much alive.

Blinking in surprise, Sweeney looked back at Mrs. Lovett and replied, "I…I don't know…"

"Ah, Ms…um…the Baker!" Turpin stated, also turning to Mrs. Lovett, "I was just talking to Mr. Todd here about how he is hiding a wanted fugitive on his property."

"Care to join us?" The Beadle sneered, cane in hand and unsoiled.

Sweeney reached into his pockets and found that his razor wasn't even on him and must have been left behind in the Barber Shop.

Strange.

"What wanted fugitive?" Mrs. Lovett demanded, hands on her hips.

"You know exactly who!" Turpin shouted, "Anthony Hope! The one you two broke out of jail!"

"He's right there, behind Todd!" The Beadle added, pointing at Sweeney.

Before anything else could be said, Anthony came walking out from where he was hiding, but this time dressed in the curly beard, mustache and hastily done make up.

"No!" he exclaimed, "No soy Anthony, me llamo Jean Claude Pierre, de France!"

Turpin and The Beadle looked at each other, then at Anthony and the back at each other, wondering what was going on.

"I could have sworn I saw…" Turpin began, clutching his forehead and shaking his head.

"Me too…" The Beadle agreed, scratching his scalp.

"…And I could have sworn I just had killed you both." Sweeney added matter-of-factly, shrugging.

There was a silent moment in which everyone looked at everyone else suspiciously before bursting into awkward, tension-breaking laughter.

"I guess you three must have a bit too much to drink." Mrs. Lovett sniffed, folding her arms and moving to stand by Sweeney's side, "But Mr. Todd and I have things to do so it's time for you and the Beadle to leave, Judge.

Just as Mrs. Lovett was about to drag Sweeney and the disguised Anthony away before they caused any more trouble, Turpin spoke.

"That's what I'm here to talk to you about, Mr. Todd." He stated, "You're hosting an illegal festival on public property. It's blocking the entirety of Fleet Street, no one can get through."

"I didn't plan this." Sweeney retorted, gesturing to the parade, "And the streets are this crowded more or less anyway. Go complain to someone else."

Sweeney began walking away once more but the Beadle, of course, had to stick his cane in his path so he couldn't continue.

"Mr. Todd." The Beadle said, "The Honorable Judge Turpin isn't through talking yet."

Sweeney turned around to face the Beadle and the Judge as did Mrs. Lovett and the costumed Anthony who stood on either side of him.

"The only way to allow a gathering of this kind," Turpin continued, "is to name this day a holiday. Someone anonymously submitted these forms to the local registry to make today and this day every year following, Sweeney Todd Day for Fleet Street and the surrounding area of course. Now unless you'd like to take a trip to jail, Mr. Todd, I suggest you sign your consent on these forms."

Turpin extended a hand holding several sheets of paper for Sweeney to take.

Sweeney didn't take them; instead he just stood there dumbstruck in disbelief.

"You can't be serious." He finally grumbled, rolling his eyes.

"Es una idea muy buena!" Anthony exclaimed, slapping Sweeney on the back then reaching for the papers and shoving them into Sweeney's hands.

Sweeney looked down at the papers and Mrs. Lovett leaned in, reading over his shoulders.

" 'Due to the renowned Mr. Todd's various heroic exploits including apprehending a murderer and aiding in the solving of a local spree of killings, it is suggested that today be named a local holiday in his honor.'" Mrs. Lovett read aloud, then looked up and nodded, "Would be good for business, having a holiday named after you, don't you think, Mr. Todd."

Up until Mrs. Lovett had spoke, Sweeney had seen the idea of a holiday in honor of his heroism as an extreme annoyance and horrible hindrance to his plans, but now he was able to see a second angle to it.

Everyone seeing him as such a hero would be good for business, he could kill more people a day than he had ever done before.

And if anyone suspected him, he'd be able to use all his 'heroic exploits' as proof to the contrary.

It was brilliant.

Why hadn't he thought of that before?

Oh, he knew why.

Because only Eleanor Lovett could ever be that deviously ingenious.

"Does anyone have a pen?" Sweeney inquired, looking up from the papers with a familiar sinister grin that hadn't visited his face in far too long.

Mrs. Mooney was furious.

The anger had been building for some time now, but the parade had been the last straw.

Ever since that barber Sweeney Todd had moved into the shop about Mrs. Lovett's Pie Shop, Lovett had been getting all business on the street.

Then, when Sweeney Todd became some kind of big hero or something, Lovett's shop got even more publicity just by association.

And now, they were having a parade in his honor and that sneaky little wench was raking in the money by the fistfuls.

It just wasn't fair.

Lovett used to have the worst pies in London.

The absolute worst.

And everyone always came to Mrs. Mooney's Pie Shop and ate her delicious meat pies.

But now no one even came to her shop anymore.

Mrs. Mooney hadn't had a customer in weeks and pretty soon she feared she would have to close down shop.

And it was all because of Sweeney Todd.

Now, Mrs. Mooney could try to sabotage him or Lovett somehow to get revenge, but she wasn't the vengeful sort.

No, Mrs. Mooney wasn't the vengeful sort at all, she was the resourceful sort.

She turned weakness into strengths.

When she had a rat problem in her shop, she caught them all, bred them and served them up in pies.

It made her a good sum.

She had done it once and she could and would do it again.

Now all she needed was the right recipe…  
_

When Toby finally managed to run the beggar woman off, he returned to the Pie Shop to find the parade on Fleet Street dying down.

Most of the parade's members and audience had retired to he corner Pub where free drinks were still apparently being served by the generous (and too drunk to realize the money he was losing) John.

"Where have you been all day, boy!" Mrs. Lovett demanded when she saw Toby, "I could have used your help in the shop with Anthony being so uncoordinated!"

She was cleaning up the outdoor table area with the un-help of Anthony who was having difficulty folding table cloths.

"Mi nombre no es Anthony!" Anthony (incognito) reminded frantically.

"Oh whatever." Mrs. Lovett groaned, shaking her head, "And by the way, that's Spanish not French."

"I was chasing that beggar woman away, like you asked, mum." Toby exclaimed, quickly aiding Mrs. Lovett in clearing plates from the tables, "She kept coming back and was screaming some weird stuff about the devil, it was real strange, it was."

"Don't listen to her." Mrs. Lovett warned, "Everything she says is a lie."

"Don't worry, mum." Toby agreed, "I won't."

Adopted mother and adopted son walked into the Pie Shop carrying the dishes and set them down on the counter, deciding to wash them the next day.

"By the way, mum…" Toby piped up, "Have you seen Ruby around here lately?"

"No." Mrs. Lovett answered, "But I'm sure that cat's around here somewhere…"

"What if she's run away? I haven't seen her all week!" Toby cried, "What if she's lost out somewhere and can't find her way back home! Mum, what are we gonna do!"

"Oh she'll turn up, don't worry." Mrs. Lovett consoled, bending down to Toby's height and resting her hands on his shoulders, "For now, go back outside and see if you can help Anthony before he breaks something."

Toby nodded, and hurried back to the tables outside, leaving Mrs. Lovett in the kitchen, thinking.

Toby was right.

Mrs. Lovett hadn't seen the albino cat in quite awhile and what if she did run off or get lost.

Mrs. Lovett never had any children of her own so Toby was the closest thing she'd ever have to a son (unless she had her way Sweeney, that is) so she had to be a good mother and make him happy.

Besides, she thought it was cute that Toby cared about the little kitten so much (as long as he didn't end up an effeminate like Anthony) and she didn't mind the cat herself.

But then, an awful, atrocious thought came to Mrs. Lovett's mind.

That Mrs. Mooney from down the street was always putting unsuspecting pets into her pies and these days she was getting quiet desperate for business.

What if Mrs. Mooney had gotten her greasy paws on poor little Ruby who Mrs. Lovett even thought was too cute to bake into a pie.

No way.

Mrs. Lovett was NOT going to let that wench get away that.

Tomorrow, she was going straight over to Mooney's Pie Shop and making her pay.

Sweeney was sitting in his barber chair, holding his bowed head in his hand.

He had a headache pounding in tune to his unsteady heart.

He recounted the strange daydream he had had during the parade where he had finally killed Judge Turpin and the Beadle only to find that they were all still alive.

What had brought that about?

He had always fantasized about killing them, but to actually feel as if he was doing it, to feel as if that he had done it, just to have the satisfaction ripped away and replaced by their living reality was too much for him to handle.

Maybe he was going crazy…

Maybe he was getting old…

Sweeney knew he was already a crazy old man but that didn't mean that vision didn't bother him.

Before he could contemplate further, Mrs. Lovett entered the shop through the door Sweeney could have sworn he had locked.

"Mr. T?" she attempted, not sure if he was awake or sleeping.

Sweeney made no movement or noise to acknowledge her, he just kept his position, clutching his aching head.

"Mr. Todd?" Mrs. Lovett tried again, this time creeping over to Sweeney and tapping him on the shoulder, "Are you asleep?"

He decided to pretend he was.

Stupid woman, it's not like anyone can ever answer 'yes' to that question.

"Mr. Todd, this can't wait!" Mrs. Lovett shrieked, "Wake up! A life is in danger!"

Sweeney didn't move.

Mrs. Lovett raised her rolling pin that she always held handy and Sweeney filched out of the way just as she was about to bring it down.

"I knew you was faking it!" she exclaimed, "Come on get up, Mr. T, I need your help!"

"Damn it…" Sweeney muttered and slowly stood, "Why can't you just leave me alone? I've got a headache, can't you see I'm in pain!"

"Aww, the poor darling has a headache!" Mrs. Lovett chided in a voice that Sweeney was unable to judge as sarcastic or sincere, "Come with me, then, I'll get you some gin for your head and then you can come help me!"

Mrs. Lovett dragged Sweeney downstairs into the Pie Shop and gave him half a glass of bitter drink.

It didn't help.

"Can't you get Toby or Anthony to help you with this?" Sweeney asked, "Why do I have to be the one to waste my time?...wait, what is it you need done, anyway?"

"Remember that little cat Ruby we used to have around here?" Mrs. Lovett inquired, leaning forward against the table in the middle of the kitchen where she rolled her dough.

"Yeah, that red-eyed vermin? Couldn't forget it." Sweeney answered, "Scratched me bad a couple times. Did you finally cook it?"

"No! Mr. Todd!" Mrs. Lovett screeched, "Why would you say such a thing! Ruby's much too cute to be killed, besides, Toby loves her so! All I'm trying to tell you is that she's lost."

"Good." Sweeney commented.

Mrs. Lovett shook her head, "Not good. I think I know who has her and you're gonna help me get her back."

Sweeney rolled his eyes.

Another damn heroic adventure.

* * *

**Please review!**


	13. Lost Cat,Mr&Mrs Mooney, BakeShop BreakIn

**Yay! Another chapter! Hope you like it! Thanks for the reviews that met my 4 per chapter rule!**

* * *

Ruby had decided that she liked Fleet Street.

It wasn't that she didn't like the orphanage…well, actually, she really hated it.

The mistress at the orphanage forced the girls to work all day sewing and so they never had time to play with her and there was barely enough food for the girls and so poor Ruby had to survive off the rats that infested the crowded building.

And so when one of the little girls escaped and brought Ruby to the park, the albino kitten was grateful to finally breathe fresh air and be free.

Her new home with the baking lady, the little boy and the clumsy boy was nice.

The only one Ruby didn't really trust was the angry man who would often step on her tail or direct his razor in her general direction.

But still, life was good.

Until the dogs came…

Ruby was minding her own business one fine evening, the clumsy boy was standing in the kitchen of the Pie Shop holding a stack of plates and Ruby crept unnoticed past his feet and out the door.

She strolled around the street, past two men smoking pipes and inspecting the dark area with magnifying glasses, and smelled a foul and familiar sent.

The sent of a dead human body.

Now Ruby was quite used to this smell, since the baking lady cooked dead human bodies all the time for her pies, but this was different.

Ruby never smelt dead bodies outside on the street, only inside within the confines of the underground oven room the baking lady worked in.

So Ruby followed the smell, thinking perhaps someone had stolen a body from her gracious host and she could be a good guest and return it to her.

When Ruby reached the corpse, split in half from the waist up and lying on the cobblestone, four dogs were gnawing at the fresh flesh.

Disgusting.

Eating cooked humans in pies was yummy, Ruby often dined on what the baking lady fed her. But eating raw human meat was just plain gross.

Ruby was off put by the dogs' lack of table manners and afraid simply because they were big and raggedy stray dogs that could easily consume her as well as the dead person.

She quickly turned and started to walk back through the London streets away from the gruesome sight.

But the dogs had caught her scent.

They lunged, snarling and barking, chasing Ruby down the road.

She was small and could duck and weave in between alleys and sewers but she was out numbered four to one.

Soon the beasts had poor Ruby cornered in a corner, baring their already bloody fangs and Ruby's short feline life flashed before her red eyes.

Just as Ruby thought it was all over, a silhouette appeared behind the dogs.

A woman waving a rolling pin, come to save her.

It was the baking lady!

Ruby was safe! The nice baking lady had somehow found her and come to protect her from the vicious dogs!

"Shoo! Shoo! Get away you damn dogs!" the baking lady screeched, smacking the dogs with her rolling pin until they reluctantly ran howling away.

Ruby mewed, trotting up to her savior and being lifted into the comfort and safety of her arms.

"Awww, poor little kitty was attacked by the mean doggies. Don't worry, I'm here, little kitty, I'll take you home with me…"

Ruby purred as Mrs. Mooney carried her off into the London night.

* * *

"Mr. Todd! Mr. Todd!" Anthony sprinted down the Barber Shop stairs finding no one there and burst into the Pie Shop, hoping for better luck.

It was night and so dark enough for Anthony to be without his ridiculous French man who speaks Spanish disguise, thankfully.

"He's not here." Toby stated. He was washing all the dishes left dirty from a day of hungry customers.

"Do you where he is?" Anthony asked hurrying into the shop and attempting to dry the dishes Toby had just washed, but just soiling them with a dirty rag instead, "I need his help, I do!"

"I dunno." Toby shrugged, shaking his head upon seeing the mess Anthony was making, "He and Mum went out somewhere, they did, not sure where."

"Oh." Anthony replied.

"Mum left me in charge of the shop." Toby declared proudly, snatching the plate from Anthony, "You normally work for Mum to pay her back from breaking you out of jail. But Mum isn't here. And since I'm in charge here, you work for me."

"Well, yeah, I guess I do…." Anthony agreed, a bit surprised and unsure of where Toby was going with this, "…I guess."

Toby grinned.

"I'm YOUR boss!" he said mischievously, "YOU have to do what I say!"

"Yes, I guess I've got to." Anthony shrugged.

Toby set the dishes he was cleaning down in the sink, still wet with lather and turned towards Anthony, snickering and smiling toothily.

He had a feeling that tonight was gonna be a good night.

"Mrs. Mooney's Pie Shop is just down this way, we're almost there." Mrs. Lovett stated in a whisper, still dragging Sweeney along.

"And what do you expect me to do when we arrive?" Sweeney asked, also whispering, "Kill her?"

The streets were desolate enough for him to say that out in the open, but Mrs. Lovett loved the sense of urgency and adventure a whispered voice brought and Sweeney just didn't want to take any chances.

"Yes!" Mrs. Lovett exclaimed, a tad too loudly, "Yes! I do want you to kill her!"

"But what if she doesn't even have that cat you love so dearly?" Sweeney conditioned.

"I don't care!" Mrs. Lovett replied, "That loony Mrs. Mooney has been a bother to me since I set up my shop! I'll more than happy to see her go! In fact, I think it would be some sort of poetic justice to bake her into a pie…"

"I didn't' need all those reasons, I was just making sure you really wanted her dead." Sweeney said, gripping the razor he kept in his pocket, "So that we wouldn't have any disagreements later and you wouldn't be whining all the way home."

"I don't whine!" Mrs. Lovett whined, "Why would say that I whined?"

"Whine, complain, whatever." Sweeney shrugged, rolling his eyes, "It's all you ever seem to do sometimes."

"Well I never!" Mrs. Lovett huffed, folding her arms, "I give you a roof over your head and breakfast in the morning and this is how you repay me, by calling me a whiner? Mr. Todd, sometimes I just don't understand what goes on in that complicated, twisted head of yours."

"First of all, you charge me rent," Sweeney reminded, stopping his pace so that Mrs. Lovett had to also stop walking and turn around to face him, "And second of all, I repay by giving you fresh meat everyday to bake into your pies that were frankly inedible before I came along, so I think you should be the one thanking me…instead of whining."

"Oh enough of this!" Mrs. Lovett sighed, throwing her hands in the air, "You win."

Sweeney almost smiled and the two continued striding down the road to go commit another murder.

"We're here!" Mrs. Lovett declared.

They had reached a wooden shack tacked on to the edge of a row of brick buildings. The sign above the locked door read 'Mrs. Mooney's Amazing Pies' or something like that, as it was awfully hard to decipher in the dark.

"Well this is shop is a piece of shit." Sweeney stated, looking the place up and down, "Is this really the shop of your 'greatest rival', the evil archenemy you've been complaining to me about the whole way here?"

"Her shop is quite raggedy, but she really is very devious." Mrs. Lovett qualified.

"We'll see who's devious…" Sweeney said, kicking in the wobbly wooden door and letting himself and Mrs. Lovett into the Pie Shop.

* * *

Mr. Mooney awoke suddenly in his upstairs bedroom when he heard a crash below.

He sat up in bed and turned to the space next to him, expecting to find his wife but instead finding a cool, empty spot.

Perhaps his wife was downstairs; perhaps she had caused the loud noise?

But Mr. Mooney didn't think so…

His gut told him somebody had just broken in.

Mr. Mooney reached for the rifle he kept under his pillow and stood.

"Damn, Mr. T!" Mrs. Lovett shrilled, "That was loud! You must have woken her up with that one! We've lost the element of surprise!"

"I don't need the element of surprise." Sweeney growled, "Now shut up and let's find her so I can get back to my plans!"

"What plans?" Mrs. Lovett inquired, but Sweeney gave her no answer.

Mrs. Lovett and Sweeney tripped over whatever was lying on the floor as they stumbled across what was probably the dining room of the Pie Shop. They ventured through the dark into the kitchen and then into a hallway that lead to a staircase.

They were about to begin the climb when they saw a skinny silhouette at the top of the stairs.

He was toting a gun.

"Who's there!" the figure, Mr. Mooney, called out in a voice high for a man, "What are you doing in my house!"

"Oh my god, Mr. Todd!" Mrs. Lovett shrieked, "He's got a gun! What do we do?"

"You didn't tell me she had a man living with her!" Sweeney barked.

"I didn't know!" Mrs. Lovett exclaimed.

"Excuse me sir!" Sweeney called up.

"Yes?" Mr. Mooney answered, still pointing his gun towards the Barber and the Baker.

"We have some business with a Mrs. Mooney," Sweeney continued, "Where might we find her?"

"What do you want with my wife?" Mr. Mooney demanded.

Mrs. Lovett laughed.

She had known Mrs. Mooney to be somewhat of a spinster. She was overweight from overeating her own pies since nobody bought them. And now here she was, married to a skinny little man.

"You're her husband?" she repeated, "How long have the two of you been married!"

"Why almost twenty years, I think!" Mr. Mooney stated, "What's it to you?"

Mrs. Lovett was shocked. Mrs. Mooney had been married this whole time and she had had no idea…well that explained the "Mrs." Prefix to her name…Mrs. Lovett had thought that she had just tacked that on to seem more official or something.

"Oh I just never knew she had a husband!" Mrs. Lovett stated, "That's all."

"That still doesn't explain what you two are doing here in my house at this hour of the night!" Mr. Mooney reminded, cocking his rifle angrily, "I need answers! Tell me now or I shoot!"

"Um…we wanted to talk to your wife." Mrs. Lovett said, "We're her…uh…friends…"

"Where is she?" Sweeney asked.

"It beats me." Mr. Mooney answered, shrugging.

* * *

In the middle of the night Mrs. Mooney had crept out of bed and snuck down to Fleet Street in order to break into Mrs. Lovett's Pie Shop and find out once and for all just what she was putting in her pies that made them go from tasting like Hell to tasting like Heaven.

She pulled a black cloak over her entire body so as not to be recognized and tip-toed all the way to her competitor's Pie Shop.

But when she finally got to the shop, she saw that the lights were on and two figures were moving about in the kitchen. She ducked under the window to watch.

A young man in his late teens was scrubbing the floors and a little boy of around ten was sitting at the table observing.

_Strange…_Mrs. Mooney thought, _why would the younger be in charge of the older?_

It just proved just how backwards Mrs. Lovett's Pie Shop really was.

Mrs. Mooney figured that she had to cause some sort of distraction in order to sneak past the boys and get into the cellar where Mrs. Lovett made her pies in giant oven.

She knew what to do…

* * *

"It's almost twelve, Toby!" Anthony begged, already on his knees from washing the floors with a dirty rag, "Can I please stop!"

"You forgot to say it!" Toby snapped, beating a broom against the floor where Anthony kneeled.

"Oh!" Anthony jumped slightly at the bump, "I mean BOSS! Boss, please…I've been cleaning for hours!"

"You can't stop until the whole house is clean for my mum!" Toby declared, "After all the messes you've made that I had to clean up, now it's your turn!"

"But I'm sorry, boss!" Anthony cried, "When I dropped the plates, and the food and everything, it was all an accident, I swear it! I never meant to make a mess for you!"

"Keep cleaning!" Toby laughed evilly, enjoying his only day to be in charge.

"Nooooo!" Anthony moaned in pain, his back aching from bending over, and his knees aching from kneeling, and his hands aching from scrubbing the wood floors.

Anthony wondered how such a sweet little boy could have such a cruel streak to him. _Must have been all the pent up anger from the workhouse and his violent masters there_, Anthony decided in a Freud moment, pitying the boy and so forgiving him for his behavior that night.

Just then, a defining shriek brought both boys out of their roles and sent them jumping up from their positions and running to the window to see what it was.

"What was that!" Anthony inquired, pressing his face against the window, searching outside for the search of the noise, "Do you think it was that crazy beggar woman?"

"No…" Toby answered urgently, "That was a cat…."

The boys rushed outside to the alley the shriek emitted from.

"Hurry, Anthony!" Toby called as he galloped, "It could be Ruby! She could be in trouble!"

Anthony followed Toby as he sprinted around Fleet Street trying to find his lost cat.

Finally they ran (literally) into a woman with a cloak covering her body. At first they thought it was the beggar woman, but when she spoke coherently, they realized it was someone else whom they had never met.

"Watch where you're walking!" she spat, pushing the boys off her.

"We're sorry, ma'am!" Anthony exclaimed.

"Have you seen a cat anywhere?" Toby asked.

"Why yes, yes I did." The woman stated, pointing in a direction, "There's a little one caught up in a tree over in that alley over there."

"Thank you so much, lady!" Toby thanked and then dashed in the direction the woman had indicated with Anthony running right after.

"You're so very welcome, boys…" Mrs. Mooney snickered, "So very welcome…"

* * *

Mr. Mooney, Mrs. Lovett and Sweeney all sat in the sitting room. Mr. Mooney and Mrs. Lovett on the couch and Sweeney in the armchair that he had snagged before Mr. Mooney could.

Mr. Mooney had put on a pot of tea and the three could hear it cooking in the next room.

"So, you say your friends of my wife," he began, "How did you meet her?"

"We met in charm school, we did." Mrs. Lovett lied.

"Charm school?" Mr. Mooney exclaimed, "Why I had no idea my little lovebug went to charm school!"

"Oh well, yes she did!" Mrs. Lovett confirmed, "She was quite the charmer there, graduated second in the class, right under me, of course!"

Sweeney rolled his eyes. There was no way Mrs. Lovett had met Mrs. Mooney in charm school for he doubted that Mrs. Mooney had attended and knew for damn sure that Mrs. Lovett had never set foot near a charm school in her life.

"Isn't that something, my honeybear, a charm school girl!" Mr. Mooney cheered, "Why would she keep such a thing from me?"

"She was just being bashful, that's all." Mrs. Lovett chided, "She didn't want to brag about her accomplishments."

"Awww, so humble, my lemoncake is!" Mr. Mooney said, "Isn't she?"

"Yes she certainly is." Mrs. Lovett agreed, "Don't you think so, dear?"

She leaned over and elbowed Sweeney in the gut as he had tuned out of the conversation and was staring into space.

"Yes, of course." Sweeney agreed through gritted teeth.

"Isn't it great," Mr. Mooney turned to Sweeney, "Having wives from charm school?"

"She isn't my wife!" Sweeney tried declared but was once again elbowed, "I mean, yes! Yes it is."

Sweeney shot a death glare over at Mrs. Lovett who only grinned in response.

The three people sat in awkward silence until the hiss of the teapot in the next room summoned Mr. Mooney away.

"I'll be right back." He promised then ducked into the kitchen.

"My wife?" Sweeney snorted, "What kind of an idiot would willingly marry you?"

"I was married before…" Mrs. Lovett sniffed angrily, "And my Albert was no idiot!"

"Well, crazy, then." Sweeney decided, "The man must have been crazy."

Before Mrs. Lovett could retort, Mr. Mooney came back into the room with a tea kettle and three cups.

"Who wants tea?" He offered, smiling.

* * *

Now that Mrs. Lovett's Pie Shop was vacated of the two troublesome boys, Mrs. Mooney snuck in with ease.

She searched her way around the house until she located the stair way down to the oven room. To her annoyance the door was locked.

But not to be defeated to so easily, Mrs. Mooney did not give up. She had forced doors before and she would damn well do it again.

With an enormous shove, she pushed her girth against the door again and again.

* * *

"You climb the tree!"

"No, you climb the tree!"

"I'm the boss you have to listen to me!"

"But I can't climb, and I'm allergic to cats!"

"Fine!"

Toby and Anthony stood arguing in front of a dead tree in a deserted alleyway.

Toby began to scale the dead tree, branches falling off as he adjusted his weight. But the boy would not be deterred from his goal for at the top of the tree, a white beacon in a black night, was Ruby, her red eyes glowing in the dark.

"Be careful!" Anthony shouted up after him.

As Toby climbed, Anthony looked around the alley.

To his shock and fear, he found he recognized the place.

It was the alley where he had witnessed the murder only a few months ago!

"Oh my god!" He yelled, "Toby! Get down! We have to go!"

"Why?" Toby shouted back, "I haven't got Ruby down yet! I'm not leaving till I save my cat!"

"But Toby!" Anthony cried, shaking nervously.

"What?" Toby groaned.

"This is where I saw that man get killed!" Anthony stated.

"So?"

"So it could be haunted!"

Toby shook his head, rolled his eyes and grabbed Ruby. He jumped down from the dead tree and started out of the alley.

Anthony hurried after.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Please review! Four reviews= a new chapter!**


	14. Arrested

New chapter time! Thanks for all your reviews, hope you like it!

* * *

"Don't you think it's a tad strange that your wife hasn't come home yet?" Mrs. Lovett asked Mr. Mooney as she sipped her cup of tea.

"Not at all, really." Mr. Mooney answered, surprising Mrs. Lovett, "She does this all the time. She loves her midnight walks, my sugarcube."

"Really? That's interesting." Mrs. Lovett replied, wondering just where her rival could be.

"But it is getting quite late for visiting." Mr. Mooney stated, "I am so sorry but I must ask you two to leave now. I need clean up before my wife comes home. My prettypenguin doesn't like the house to be a mess…"

Mrs. Lovett scanned the room and from what she could see it was cleaner than her house had ever been.

"Well thanks for the tea, anyway." She thanked, standing up, "We'll be going now."

She pulled Sweeney up from where he had fallen asleep resting his head on his palm and his elbow on the armrest of the armchair.

"Die! Judge Turpin! Die!" Sweeney shouted as he sprung awake, bringing out his razor and almost stabbing Mrs. Lovett with it.

"My gosh!" Mr. Mooney exclaimed, standing, "What is your husband talking about!"

"Oh, it's alright, he was just dreaming, that's all." Mrs. Lovett dismissed.

"But what is he talking about the Honorable Judge for?" Mr. Mooney inquired.

"Well…" Mrs. Lovett began, searching for a lie she could use, "It's just—just a little game that we play, you know…to keep things interesting…"

"Oh…I see…" Mr. Mooney said awkwardly, looking down at his empty tea cup, "I'll show you all to the door now…"

"Thank you kindly." Mrs. Lovett smiled, and then dragged Sweeney towards the door, "Come on, my…_sweetie pie_."

Sweeney swore revenge against Mrs. Lovett under his breath as Mr. Mooney lead him and her to the exit.

"Come again!" He offered and then shut the front door on his unexpected visitors.

Once Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett were back on the street, Sweeney brought out his razor to Mrs. Lovett's throat.

"Mr. T!" she exclaimed, "What's gotten into you?"

"Never call me 'sweetie pie' again…" he warned.

"I won't! I promise!" Mrs. Lovett promised, her hands raised up in surrender.

Sweeney pocketed his razor and begin the journey back to Fleet Street after their unsuccessful murder mission.

"Although you have to admit, it was kind of perfect, wasn't it?" Mrs. Lovett attempted.

"…whatever." Sweeney growled, continuing his stalk back to the Bake and Barber Shop.

Mrs. Lovett followed quickly behind him and despite his back being turned she had the feeling that he might have been smiling, even if only just a little.

* * *

Mrs. Mooney had been slamming the door to Mrs. Lovett's basement for the past five minutes with her large body with no success at opening.

She had ventured back into the kitchen on the search for something sharp enough to cut through the thick wood of the door but before she could get back to the basement door, with the meat cleaver she found, she heard a shout.

"FREEZE! DROP THE WEAPON!"

Mrs. Mooney turned from the basement door to see the neighborhood Constable pointing his baton at her.

The meat cleaver clanked to the floor as Mrs. Mooney threw her hands up in the air.

"We had reports of a break in at the Pie Shop!" The Constable declared, "What are you doing here!"

"Um…this is my Pie Shop!" Mrs. Mooney lied, "I'm Mrs. Lovett!"

"Mrs. Lovett?" The Constable repeated, confused, "I thought the report was for a break in at Mrs. Mooney's Pie Shop…"

"What?" Mrs. Mooney exclaimed, shocked that someone had broken into her shop and she was now being arrested on accident.

"My mistake, sorry, Mrs. Lovett." The Constable apologized, lowering his baton, "As you were."

He bowed his head and exited the Pie Shop.

Once he was gone, Mrs. Mooney sighed in relief. _That was a close one…_

_But wait just a minute!_

The Constable had just said someone had broken into her shop! She had to get back to her house!

Mrs. Mooney gave up her task of the night in favor of returning home to check if there had been any damage done to her property and so left Mrs. Lovett's Pie Shop without breaking into the basement.

Now THAT was a close one.

* * *

"Well I don't understand why you just didn't let me kill him…"

"Because the man had a gun!"

"He put it down! I could have killed him when we were all sitting in that damned sitting room drinking that god awful tea!"

"Tea wasn't that bad, love…"

"Better than your black filth, I suppose…"

"Hey! My tea is perfectly tasty if I say so myself!"

" TOBY, RUN! RUN FASTER!"

"Slow down, Anthony! There is no ghost chasing us!"

Before Anthony could come to a halt he had already (for the second time that night) run right smack into someone on the street.

"Ow!" Mrs. Lovett screeched, knocked to the ground by Anthony, "Watch where you're going you bastard!"

"I'm sorry, ma'am!" Anthony yelled, stretching a hand down to the ground pull her up "Here allow me to help you!"

"No, I'm fine. I'll help myself." Mrs. Lovett sniffed, standing back up and then squinting through the dark at the man who had pushed her down, "Anthony is that you?"

"Mrs. Lovett?" Anthony replied, "Oh my goodness! I am so sorry I knocked you down!"

Toby, holding Ruby, finally caught up to Anthony who was standing on the cobblestone across from Mrs. Lovett and Sweeney.

"Mum! Mum!" He called, running up and hugging her, Ruby squished between the two, "Are you okay?"

"Yes, Toby dear, I'm fine." Mrs. Lovett smiled at Toby and then glared at Anthony, "Just fine."

"I found Ruby!" Toby declared, "I got her out of a tree!"

"I'm so proud of you!" Mrs. Lovett congratulated him, patting his head.

"I scrubbed the floors!" Anthony added.

"Only cause I made you!" Toby qualified.

"Well this is all very well and good…" Sweeney groaned, "But can we all just go home?"

"Oh Mr. Todd! You're here too!" Anthony greeted, just realizing Sweeney had been there the whole time and staring hard at Sweeney's black hair and outfit, trying to see him.

"Yes…apparently I am. How perceptive of you, Anthony..." Sweeney growled, "However I would much rather be in my Barber Shop at this moment…"

"Let's all just go home now." Mrs. Lovett decided.

The four humans and one kitten proceeded to return finally to Fleet Street after another long night in London.

Mrs. Mooney returned home to find her husband outside talking to the Constable she had run into earlier.

"Well it wasn't really a 'break in', _per se_…" Mr. Mooney told the officer, "They were just friends of my wife, here for a visit."

"I see…" the Constable stated, "And where is your wife?"

Mrs. Mooney was trying to sneak quietly past the Constable so that he would not see her and recognize her from earlier. Just as she was about to slip in the side door, her husband spoke.

"Why, she's right here." He said, pointing, "Hi there, my little rabbitmuffin!"

"Not now, honey." Mrs. Mooney replied under her breath but it was too late.

The Constable turned around to see the woman he had almost apprehended earlier.

"I thought you told me you were Mrs. Lovett, not Mrs. Mooney…" The Constable began, smacking his baton against the palm of his hand.

"Mrs. Lovett?" Mr. Mooney repeated, "Now that was the name of the one of the visitors from earlier this night! Charm school, right cookiecloud?"

Mrs. Mooney couldn't believe it. The very night she had decided to break into Mrs. Lovett's Pie Shop was the same night that same woman had the very same idea!

The nerve of that woman!

"Yes, charm school…whatever." Mrs. Mooney groaned, rolling her eyes.

"But you are not Mrs. Lovett?" The Constable inquired.

"No." Mrs. Mooney answered, "But I can tell you_ all_ about her…"

* * *

Mrs. Lovett had tucked Toby and then herself into bed and was finally getting some much needed sleep where she heard a sharp rap on the door.

"I'll get it!" she heard Toby call from the couch where he slept.

Nellie listened as the stomps of Toby's feet and Ruby's paws crossed the room all the way to door which Toby opened.

She heard muttered and then Toby shout, "Mum!"

"What is it?" She called back, still lying in bed, hoping that the person at the door would be no one important and that she would be able to get some rest that night.

"The cops, mum!" Toby replied, "It's the cops!"

But before Nellie could get out of bed, redress herself and go to the door, the Constable along with two other police officers had barged into her bedroom.

"Can't a lady get some privacy here!" Nellie, dressed only in her nightgown, cried, covering herself with a bed sheet.

"Eleanor Lovett." The Constable began, reading from a sheet of paper he pulled from his pocket and unfurled in front of her, "You are under arrest for the murder of Albert James Lovett, your late husband."

Although he didn't much like to sleep, Sweeney decided to return to his rest, hoping that his dream from earlier would pick up where it had left off—at him killing Judge Turpin.

Sadly, before Sweeney could drift off, he was startled by banging on the door to his Barber Shop.

He ignored it for a few minutes until he realized that it wasn't going away and so Sweeney rose from his Barber chair and opened the door.

He found a crying Toby, his clothes dirty and tussled, and his face and body newly bruised.

"What happened, boy!" Sweeney demanded, "You get yourself in a fight?"

"They took her!" Toby sobbed, "Mr. Todd, they took her! I tried to stop them but I couldn't and they just took her!"

"Took who, boy, took who?" Sweeney barked, bending down to Toby's level and shaking his shoulders.

"Mum!" Toby cried, "They took mum!"

So Mrs. Lovett had been taken…but by who? Why?

Could this be Turpin's doing?

"Who took her?" Sweeney asked urgently, standing back up.

"The cops did, Mr. Todd!" Toby explained, "They said she killed her husband and that she is a murderer!"

Sweeney rolled his eyes.

Mrs. Lovett may clean up after murders and serve dead people to feed the living, but murder someone herself? Never!

The very thought was laughable.

Sweeney didn't think she had it in her…

"Well I'm sure she's innocent and this'll all be resolved in the morning." Sweeney decided, "Now go back to bed, Toby."

"No!" Toby stamped his foot and folded his arms, "My mum's been taken and you're going to help me get her back!"

"You think you can just order me around like that?" Sweeney growled, contemplating threatening Toby with his razor or taking the chance to put the boy out of his misery while Mrs. Lovett wasn't around to stop him.

"Yes! Mum said that when she's gone, I'm in charge of the Bake Shop!" Toby declared, "That makes me the boss!"

"Of the Bake Shop." Sweeney agreed, folding his arms, "But not of my Barber Shop."

"It's on her property!" Toby reminded, tears still falling from his eyes.

"And just what do you think you know about property, boy?" Sweeney considered.

"Mr. Todd, just please help!" Toby begged, "She was calling for you, you know! She told me to run and get you! She told me you'd help! How can you not help her!"

Sweeney watched the tears drip from Toby's red eyes and the yellow snot drip from his red nose.

It was disgusting.

He had to put a stop to it.

"Fine." Sweeney said, "I'll go to the police station and see what's going on."

"Oh thank you, Mr. Todd! Thank you!" Toby squealed, hugging Sweeney around his mid-section which was as far as he could reach.

"…your welcome." Sweeney muttered, shaking Toby off of him as he headed towards the door.

* * *

Nellie sat alone at a table in a windowless interrogation room down at the Constable's police station.

She was handcuffed in her nightgown, although she had already been stripped searched and thoroughly harassed by the police officers working the graveyard shift.

Finally, the Constable threw the door open and barged into the room, smacking his fist on the table.

"Where were you on the night your husband died?" he demanded.

"First of all, it was broad daylight and I was in my shop, working!" Nellie answered, jumping back slightly from the overweight constable's frightening figure, "I told you! I didn't kill him! He died from a heart attack, or something like that!"

"I don't know what he died from, woman," The Constable shouted, "Alls I know is that the coroner couldn't come to a definite conclusion and you had your husband in the ground before he could make the final decision!"

"I wanted to put my dear Albert to rest." Nellie explained sadly, "Lord knows the poor thing needed his rest. In fact, my Albert was a lot like you in some regards, you might want to ease up yourself now, then…"

"In what regards am I anything like your husband?" The Constable asked, "Are you propositioning me? I'll have you know I do not take sexual favors in exchange for time served!"

"No!" Mrs. Lovett exclaimed, disgusted at the thought of sleeping with anyone other than Sweeney, "All I was saying is that, well…how should I put this? You're size is, well, quite similar to my dead husband, that's all."

"You calling me fat?" The Constable yelled, offended, "This is all muscle, right here! All muscle!"

He patted his bulging stomach and flexed his flabby arms.

"Yes, I can see that…" Mrs. Lovett rolled her eyes, "But Albert too was a big man like you and I think he just overworked himself to death. So I think you should just, you know, slow down…"

"You've got some nerve talking to me like that in my own interrogation room!" The Constable threatened, "I might have to give you a citation!"

"I'm not afraid." Mrs. Lovett stated, folding her arms, "Mr. Todd'll be here soon to bail me out. I'm just waiting till then."

"Mr. Todd?" The Constable repeated, surprised, "Ain't he the one who caught that murderer a while back?"

"The very one." Mrs. Lovett confirmed, proudly.

"Well, it's a shame he keeps company with a murderer then." The Constable shrugged, leaning against the table "Back to the interrogation now!"

* * *

"I'm not trying to cause trouble." Sweeney told the three police officers in the station, blocking his entrance to where the prisoners were kept, "Just let me in or let her out."

"I told you once, sir, and I'll tell you again." One officer responded, standing up from his desk and aiming his baton in Sweeney's direction, "You can post bail down at the courthouse tomorrow morning! But for now, you have to go. It's policy."

"But gentlemen," Sweeney reason, still attempting to be polite but pushing past the one officer, "You must know who I am? I'm Mr. Todd, the Hero of Fleet Street, can't you make an exception for me?"

"No." All three officers stated and proceeded to lead, by way of shoving, Sweeney out of the station.

Back on the streets of London, at night, again, Sweeney stood wondering what to do.

He could run back into the police station and slash all the officers with his razor and get Mrs. Lovett out, but was the woman really worth all that effort.

Sweeney questioned his motivation for saving her.

Did he really even have any?

Toby had somehow talked him into wasting his night breaking Mrs. Lovett out from jail after Mrs. Lovett had just earlier that evening wasted his time with a wild goose chase over to Mrs. Mooney's Pie Shop.

Sweeney hadn't even been able to kill anyone!

So why should he help Mrs. Lovett now?

_Because she__ had helped him?_ Well he had helped her too. They were even.

_Because she was his friend?_ The only friends he needed were his razors.

_Because Toby told him to?_ The damn boy wasn't the boss of him!

But just as he was starting back towards his Barber Shop, bracing himself for whatever onslaught Toby would throw his way once he came home empty handed, a reason came to mind.

A practical, logical, perfect reason why he should get Mrs. Lovett out of prison, empty of all the emotion or sentiment that plagued all his other reasons for coming to her aid.

And that reason was that she _understood._

She knew his story, his real name, everything about him and she _understood._

She helped him with whatever he needed and did whatever he wanted and if it weren't for her Sweeney Todd would have no revenge and have no fun murdering the masses to keep himself busy biding his time.

She was a kindred spirit, the method to his madness, the detail to his big picture.

And he needed someone like that, almost as much as he needed revenge.

With her he had no secrets and could be himself, whoever he decided himself to be.

Sweeney Todd was Sweeney Todd only because Mrs. Lovett _understood._

* * *

Please review!


	15. The Favor

**Another chapter! I need four reviews per chapter in order to update, so when it's taking a while don't blame me...blame those secret readers who don't review (don't think I don't see you reading when you think I don't notice...)**

* * *

It was almost three in the morning and so most of London was tucked safely into their beds, soundly sleeping, dreaming of tea and the Queen and whatever those silly Brits dream about.

So what was one honorable Judge Turpin doing up so late that particular night?

Why, the same thing he did every night.

Spied on his young ward Joanna through a hole he had poked in her wall and then covered with a painting on the other side.

The judge was standing, hunched against the wall, peering in through the hole with one eye, squinting through the darkness of Joanna's room to see her.

It wasn't that interesting of a show, in fact all the young woman was doing was sleeping.

Not soundly, though, like the rest of London. No, poor Joanna tossed and turned plagued with nightmares about the very man watching her at that moment.

Turpin considered creeping into Joanna's bedroom and crawling into bed with her, but decided against that course of action when he heard a crash downstairs.

Someone had just broken into his home!

Turpin rushed down the stairs, through the darkened halls of his house, until he reached a lit room.

At first the judge almost gasped when he ran into the room for his eyes, which were not yet adjusted to the light, tricked him into seeing what looked like_ ghost_ sitting at his dining room table.

However, this was not the case.

Seated at the table was the Barber Sweeney Todd, recently christened the Hero Of Fleet Street, whom he had had over to dinner at one occasion and had many other strange encounters with since.

"My god, Mr. Todd!" Turpin exclaimed, "What the hell are you doing in my house!"

Sweeney smirked.

Feeling at the razor in his pocket, Sweeney knew that this was the perfect opportunity to finally kill his archenemy and have his revenge.

Turpin was unarmed and alone.

_Too easy…_

But murder was not Sweeney's motive tonight.

He_ needed_ the Judge alive.

"The Honorable Judge Turpin," Sweeney greeted, standing from the table and pushing in his chair and bowing his head in mock politeness, "So good to see you."

"I really can't say the same." Turpin responded, straightening his embarrassingly frilly night clothes, "What is the meaning of this?"

"Well, your honor, I need a favor…"

* * *

The room was dark, cold and windowless.

Three walls and one row of black metal bars.

It was a jail.

It was _Hell._

Or perhaps it was Heaven…for if Hell burned than Heaven must freeze.

Either way, at least it was safe…

No demons could touch her here, no devils would find her.

She was finally alone.

But then there were footsteps.

A creak and then a clank.

"Welcome to the presidential suite!"

Lucy Barker looked up from where she crouched in the corner to see a large man throw a woman into this cold haven she had been dragged into on a charge of disturbing the peace.

"I hope you find the accommodations to your liking." The large man continued sarcastically to the woman he had just shoved into the cell.

"I hope you go to hell." The woman muttered.

She had landed roughly on the damp stone floor and some of the water from that week's rain had soaked into her nightgown, making her condition even more uncomfortable.

The large man slammed the cell bars shut and stomped back down the hallway he had come from, leaving Lucy alone with this stranger.

The new woman hadn't seemed to notice Lucy yet and was busy dusting herself off as she stood.

When the woman stood, however, Lucky began to shriek and holler for she recognized, even through the darkness, the silhouette of the devil's wife.

"She washes the blood and drinks it as wine!" she crooned, "She grinds to bones to make her bread!"

"Oh. God." Mrs. Lovett groaned, turning around to see the crazy old beggar woman rocking back and forth in the corner, "Not _you_…"

* * *

"We just told your father half an hour ago to go home." The police officer guarding the police station from his tiny desk stated, sighing, "I'm sorry kid, but your mother isn't getting out tonight."

He was all alone now (save for the late night visitor) as his fellow cops had called it a night and punched out. So the poor policeman had to deal with this 'situation' all by himself.

"But please mister….." Toby whined as he stood in front of the officer's desk, "Please, I miss my mommy so much and I wanna see her...!"

"Kid, you need to go home, it's too late for you to be up!" The officer said, despite feeling a bit sorry for the child.

Toby groaned.

He was pulling out all the stops only a ten year old boy could.

He was pouting his lip, widening his eyes, trying his very best to look cute and innocent.

But it wasn't working!

Time to pick it up a notch…

Toby began to glare. He folded his arms and stamped his foot against the floor of the station.

"If you don't let my mom out right now…" he puffed, "Then I'm gonna…I'm gonna…I'm gonna cry!"

The officer's eyes widened and he edged back in his chair.

"Don't think I won't do it mister…" Toby warned in his best angrily little child voice.

"But kid…" The cop tried, exasperated and out of options and other ways to tell the boy 'no'.

Toby sucked in a deep breath, preparing for the onslaught of screaming, kicking and tears.

"Please-kid! Don't!" The officer begged, reaching into his desk drawer hoping to find some candy or toy that might appease the child, "Don't cry!"

Toby opened his mouth.

The policeman gulped.

* * *

The beggar woman's mad ravings had quieted to a whisper that Nellie had tuned out as a white noise.

The dark cell was almost silent.

Until, from somewhere in the police station came a shout that broke the silence, shattering it into a thousand pieces and sending the beggar woman back into hisses and howls.

"I WANT MY MOMMY!"

An angry child's screech.

"That's my boy…" Nellie smiled, closing her eyes and leaning back against the black walls.

* * *

"After you, my good Judge." Sweeney feigned as he opened the heavy door to the London Police Station, allowing Turpin to enter before him.

"Thank you." Turpin grumbled before walking inside with Sweeney right behind him.

Once inside the two men greeted the lamplight, a bright contrast from the darkness of the streets at night.

"Honorable Judge Turpin!" a police officer exclaimed, jumping up from his desk and dashing towards the judge, "I'm so glad you're here! This kid is having a tantrum and I have no idea what to do!"

"I'm not here to deal with children, Officer…" Turpin stated, stepping around the distraught cop, "I'm here on official business."

"But-but sir-" The policeman stammered, "What do I do?"

When Turpin ignored his pleas, the officer turned to Sweeney in hopes for help.

Sweeney just shrugged, "Official business." He repeated and walked past the cop, following Turpin down the hall to where the prisoners were held.

The policeman dissolved into despair once alone with the child writhing on the floor, sobbing and shrieking for his mother.

* * *

"Wife of the Devil…wife of the Devil…wife of the Devil…"

"Would you shut up, already, I'm trying to get some sleep!" Nellie snapped at the beggar woman who was still rocking in her corner.

"Wife of the Devil…wife of the Devil… devil of the Wife-I mean wife of the Devil..."

"Ugh…" Nellie groaned, "I guess I won't be sleeping tonight…"

The cell door creaked again and Nellie's eyes popped open, her head shooting up to see just who else was being sent in to torture that early morning.

"Here she is." The Constable stated, gesturing to Nellie, who was soaked and seated on the stone floor, "In perfect health."

He held back the bars for a figure to enter the cell.

_Mr. Todd had come to rescue her! _

_It was like a dream come true in so many ways! _

_He did love her after all! _

Judge Turpin strutted into the cell, looking Nellie up and down.

"What a flattering ensemble, Mrs. Lovett." He complemented, licking his lips at the fact that her nightgown was wet.

"You!" Nellie exclaimed, jumping up and covering herself with her arms, "What are you doing here!"

"Your close associate, Mr. Todd, has called in a favor to get you out of here." Turpin explained, "Thanks to my signature, you are now immune to all charges against you, false or otherwise."

"How generous of you, Honorable Judge." Nellie thanked, surprised that Turpin would actually help her and Mr. Todd.

"I owed him." Turpin stated, "The man saved my life and so I was indebted to him. And I am an honorable man and repay what I owe. If found guilty, which of course you would have been, for the crime of murdering your husband, you Mrs. Lovett, would surely have been sentenced to death. I have just spared you from such a fate. A life for a life."

"I see." Nellie nodded, considering this, "Still, I give you my thanks. And my thanks to Mr. Todd, where is he…?"

"Down the hall, waiting for you." The Constable told Mrs. Lovett.

Without more words to the Constable of the Judge, Nellie shot out of the cell and down the hallway, running until she reached where Mr. Todd leaned against the stone wall, waiting for her.

Nothing, not hands, arms or razors could stop Nellie from throwing herself onto Mr. Todd in a crushing embrace.

"Oh thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" she cried, showering her savior with kisses.

"Get off me!" Mr. Todd grunted, trying and failing to release himself from Nellie's grasp.

"My hero…" Nellie sighed happily.

Once back in the main room of the police station, Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett started towards the door.

They passed the desk where the frazzled officer was attempting to assuage the tantrum-ing Toby.

"Toby, up!" Mrs. Lovett commanded, "Let's go!"

Toby immediately broke from his sob and hopped off the floor, trotting after Mrs. Lovett and Sweeney as they exited the station.

The policeman fainted right then and there of exhaustion, confusion and relief.

* * *

By the time Sweeney, Mrs. Lovett and Toby had finally gotten home, it was dawn.

The sun and its aurora were just breaking through the clouds above, and the birds were singing in the rising fog.

"Well isn't this a beautiful morning!" Mrs. Lovett chimed, opening the blinds once inside the Pie Shop, "Don't you think? Mr. T? Toby?"

Toby would have agreed, had he not passed out, thoroughly tuckered, head down on the kitchen table.

Sweeney didn't agree, because of course, anything with singing birds and sunrises was nothing but a thing of ugly annoyance to him.

"Aww, look at him, Mr. T." Mrs. Lovett commented on Toby, "Isn't he darling? The boy just right tired himself out, he did."

Making some sort of grumble in response, Sweeney headed to the Pie Shop exit, hoping to escape up the stairs into the confines of the Barber Shop—at least until it clouded back over.

"Now don't you go anywhere, Mr. Todd." Mrs. Lovett prohibited, pulling Sweeney back from the door to where she stood at the counter, "I haven't had the chance to properly thank you for getting me out of that prison…"

"I think you've done more than enough thanking, really." Sweeney tried, backing away from Mrs. Lovett in an attempt to evade anymore physical contact.

"No, I insist." Mrs. Lovett insisted. Holding Sweeney as tightly as she could, positioning him in front of her and leaning up towards him, "You saved my life!"

"No I didn't." Sweeney countered, "I just got you out of jail."

"I would have been hung if you didn't!" Mrs. Lovett qualified, "So yes you did!"

"No I didn't." Sweeney disagreed, "You would have been fine. They never would have hung you, you're innocent anyway."

Mrs. Lovett looked away and down at the floor, pretending that she had seen a rat or a spider scamper across the wood.

Sweeney raised an eyebrow.

"…I'm not exactly innocent actually…" She finally spoke.

"You didn't really…did you?" Sweeney asked, resting against the counter in anticipation of an exciting story of murder and mayhem, a smile crawling across his lips.

"Well…" Mrs. Lovett began sheepishly, "My Albert, god rest his poor soul, was an eater. A big, round man who just loved to eat, and eat and eat. He was my only customer back then, the only one who could tolerate the absolute poison I used to produce from this very kitchen. It's why I married him, you know, he was the only who could stand my cooking and what good is a wife if her husband don't like her cooking…but I digress. The day my old Albert died I was testing out a new recipe. A little bit of this, a little bit of that, and a little bit of rat for flavor. I thought it would be harmless, I really did. And so I fed it my dear husband, to see what he thought. He took a few bites and then just dropped dead, right before my very eyes. Just keeled over right there in front of me. I never meant to kill him but I know it was the pie that did so, I guess one could say, that I'm pretty much guilty of murdering my own husband."

"It figures." Sweeney chuckled, "Worst pies in London and all that."

"Worst pies in London." Mrs. Lovett repeated, laughing.

* * *

The rest of the day the Pie Shop was closed.

Everyone was just too tired from last night's epic adventures including three break ins (two pie shops and one judge's residence) and two rescues (one from jail, one from a tree).

All and all, it was a night of strange events.

Just the kind of night that was be coming far too common for the barber, baker and orphan boy who resided on Fleet Street.

Sweeney stood, still sleepless, gazing out the window of the Barber Shop at the gray London streets but not really seeing anything.

He was considering what he had done early that morning.

Instead of finally killing his sworn enemy, he had bargained with him, just to get a woman out of jail that he only needed because he hadn't yet killed his enemy in the first place.

If Sweeney had just slashed Judge Turpin's throat right then in there, (instead of asking him for help of all things), he wouldn't have had a need for Mrs. Lovett to be out of prison.

And seeing how easy it was to slip into the Judge's house and come within inches of murder the man proved to Sweeney that he really had no excuse not to have killed Turpin a long time ago…

So why was Sweeney dragging this out?

Killing customers and then sending them downstairs for Mrs. Lovett to bake into pies and serve to unwitting customers in some sick reverse of the status quo was fun and all, but wasn't revenge what he really wanted…

_So why?_

Before Sweeney could come up with an answer, the door to his shop opened and he turned to greet his next customer (victim).

"Hello sir, here for a shave?" he smiled.

"Yes, sir, I am." The man, well dressed, affirmed, entering the room and looking around.

"Well have a seat, then, my good man." Sweeney offered, gesturing to the barber chair, "Such a lovely day we are having…"

The man obliged, positioning himself comfortably in the stiff, wooden chair.

Grinning, Sweeney reached for his razor and began his work.

Maybe he just loved his job a little too much.

Maybe he would have to drag this little plot for revenge on just a bit longer…

* * *

lol hope you liked it! And PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review! I need four to update!


	16. Out Of The Frying Pan And Into The Fire

**Well welcome to the next 'story arc' lol. Hope you like it! **

* * *

The best time to run away was in the middle of the day.

One could walk right down the street and blend into the crowd as if they belonged there, no one the wiser to what one was doing or where they were going.

And that was exactly what Joanna was doing.

Every morning, she would be awakened by her guardian, the Honorable Judge Turpin as they called him, before he went off to work.

His cold and sickeningly wet kiss on her forehead would pull Joanna out of equally sickening dreams of the man, and he would smell her hair for a long moment while she pretended to still sleep, hoping that he would do no more and leave her quickly.

Usually he would.

But sometimes he wouldn't.

Either way, after he was finished visiting his ward, he would lock the door behind him on his way out.

Joanna never opened her eyes during her morning ordeals, but she always heard the deadbolt click.

Except for this morning.

Immediately Joanna's eyes flew open.

She knew that this was her chance.

Joanna waited until she watched Judge Turpin walk away from his house and down the street towards the courts.

As soon as he was gone she began packing.

* * *

It was back to business as usual on Fleet Street.

Sweeney killed, Mrs. Lovett cooked and the masses were still idiotically unaware of what they were eating.

Sweeney had just sent his last customer down the trap door into Mrs. Lovett's basement bake room when he heard the next one open the door and walk in.

"I'll be right with you in a moment." Sweeney promised, his back turned so as not to show his bloody shirt, "Please sit down."

He was cleaning off his razor with a rag, once white but now permanently dyed red by its duty.

"Mr. Todd." The customer began and Sweeney immediately stopped his polishing.

He recognized the voice.

"I'm not here for a shave…"

_Turpin. _

Before the Judge could say another word, Sweeney had swung around towards him, throwing a razor like a dart.

The blade grazed past the Turpin and hit the door, shutting it with the force of the throw.

"My God!" Turpin exclaimed, staggering back from Sweeney, gaping at his crimson stained shirt.

"No, you're here to die!" Sweeney declared, brandishing another razor.

He leaped across the room and held the razor to Judge Turpin's stubbly throat.

"No! Stop, don't!" Turpin yelled, grabbing Sweeney's arm with both hands, attempting to push him away.

Sweeney struggled to break free of Turpin's grasp and threw his free hand around the Judge's throat.

The two men struggled, knocking each other to the floor, Sweeney slashing at Turpin with his razor, Turpin trying his best to fight back.

"Do you know what you did to me?" Sweeney demanded, shaking the Judge, "Do you know who I am?"

"Stop! Let go, Mr. Todd, let go!" Turpin begged.

Sweeney only clenched his hand around his neck tighter.

"It's me, it's me! Let me go, Mr. T, it's me!"

Suddenly Turpin's voice was higher and distinctly more feminine, causing Sweeney to pause.

He looked at whom he was holding down and saw not his worst enemy, but his business partner.

"It's me, Mr. Todd, it's me." Mrs. Lovett repeated in a calmer voice now that Sweeney had stopped his attack.

Shocked and confused, Sweeney released Mrs. Lovett and stood up, backing up until he fell back into his barber chair.

Mrs. Lovett jumped up and rushed to his side.

"Are you alright?" she asked, despite being the only one of the two injured.

Clean scrapes from Sweeney's razor decorated her arms, face and even neck, dripping tiny red tears.

"I thought…I thought you…" Sweeney muttered, clutching his brow between his fingers.

"I know, dear." Mrs. Lovett comforted, patting Sweeney on the back as he hunched over, "It's alright, it's alright."

Sweeney couldn't believe what had just happened.

He had had another damn hallucination, worse than the one before because this time he had acted it out!

If Sweeney hadn't snapped out of it just in time, he would have killed Mrs. Lovett and with all her screaming he would have been caught and hung for sure.

Mrs. Lovett was fine, just a few cuts and bruises, she would heal and as long as she could do her job then all was well with her.

_But w__hat was wrong with him? _

Why were these hallucinations this happening to him all of a sudden?

Were they a sign that he should just go ahead and kill Turpin already?

Or was he just going mad…?

"Come downstairs with me," Mrs. Lovett suggested, trying to lift Sweeney from his chair, "I'll get myself patched up and then I can get you something to steady yourself."

"I'm fine." Sweeney grunted, keeping himself from being lifted.

"Oh, Mr. T this is no time to be stoic." Mrs. Lovett chided, "Come on down with me."

"No." Sweeney declined, closing his eyes and leaning back, "I need to be alone."

"You sure, love…?" Mrs. Lovett asked, crouching closer to him and feeling his forehead, "You seem a bit warm…"

"I'm fine!" Sweeney barked, "Now get out!"

"Alright, already, I'm going!" Mrs. Lovett conceded, standing and heading for the door.

It took some effort yank the razor from the door, but she was able to pull it out.

"Throw it here." Sweeney ordered, eyes still closed.

Mrs. Lovett stared down at the blade in her hands, turning it over a few time and examining it before tossing it over to Sweeney.

"Here," she said, as the razor landed in his lap "Be careful with it."

Sweeney didn't respond and Mrs. Lovett exited the Barber Shop.

* * *

"Are you okay, mum?" Toby gasped when he ran into Mrs. Lovett's bedroom to find her tending to many cuts of various lengths she had all over her body.

There were dozens of annoyed and angry customers waiting for their pies and since Toby wasn't allowed to go into the basement and bake the pies, he had to find his adoptive mother so she could.

The masses had been clawing at Toby like hungry animals, demanding food, which reminded him of the workhouse where the boys would fight for the scraps of bread their masters threw just so they could watch the children hurt each other.

"Of course I am, Toby, love." Mrs. Lovett answered, wrapping the final bandaged around her arm.

"What happened?" Toby exclaimed, rushing to her side, "Who did this to you? Who! When I find him, I swear I'll—"

"Don't be silly, dear!" Mrs. Lovett silenced, "Nobody did this to me, I did it to myself!"

"Why would you do such a thing to yourself, mum?" Toby asked, skeptical, "That don't make any sense…"

"It was an accident!" his mother lied, "I…uh…tripped and fell, that's all."

Toby looked Mrs. Lovett up and down, examining her bandaged wounds as well as the scrape across her cheek just under her eye.

"You don't get cuts from falling down, mum, you get bruises…" he told her, "What really happened, please tell me! I can defend you, I can protect you from whoever did this!"

"I don't need protecting!" Mrs. Lovett snapped, grabbing Toby and staring him in the eye, "Now I want you to stop all this nonsense about somebody doing something to me! I'm fine and no one did this to me!"

Toby was silent for a moment, gathering his courage to speak.

Finally he shouted out, "It was Mr. Todd, wasn't it! It was him who did it, Mr. Todd who scratched you up like that!"

Mrs. Lovett slapped Toby clean across the face.

"Toby don't you ever, ever say such things about Mr. Todd." she warned, "Ever."

Mrs. Lovett stood up from the bed and started to the door.

"Now come along, love." She called back to Toby, her normal cheer returning to her voice, "Let's get back to work…"

Once she was gone, Toby turned his head back forward from the slap and sat on the bed.

He knew that it was Mr. Todd who had hurt her.

He just _knew_ it.

And he was going to protect his mum, one way or another…

* * *

The Beadle hurried on his way to the Honorable Judge Turpin's office in the courthouse, his cane clacking against the stone floor like a third footstep.

When he reached the office, the door was wide open and he could see Judge Turpin sitting at his desk, tapping his hand angrily against the wood.

"Finally!" the Judge roared, rising from his chair, "What took you so long, Beadle?"

"I'm sorry your honor, I came as fast as I could." The Beadle apologized, bowing his head, "What services of mine do you require?"

"Joanna ran away!" Judge Turpin growled, smacking the desk with his fist, "God dammit she's gone!"

"I'm so sorry, sir…" The Beadle said, shocked that the Judge's ward had actually managed to escape the way he kept her locked up and all, "Is there anything I can do?"

"FIND HER!" Judge Turpin yelled, "FIND HER NOW!"

"Yes, of course, your honor!" The Beadle agreed, jumping back at the sheer volume of the Judge's voice, "Right away, sir!"

Judge Turpin massaged his forehead, sitting back down.

"I apologize for my tone…" he said, "It's just that…it's just that…"

"I understand, your honor, you're in a bad way because you're worried." The Beadle finished the sentence for his boss.

"Yes there is that, but also…" the Judge continued, "Also that, well, this city…this world...it's a cruel, dangerous place. And the thought of my little Joanna out there all alone…"

Judge Turpin rested his face in his hands, bending both elbows on the desk.

"I'll find her, sir, we'll find her." The Beadle comforted, awkwardly patting Judge Turpin on his slouched shoulders.

* * *

Nellie (despite getting some strange glances from customers due to her injuries) was bustling through the kitchen, into the dining room, outside into the open air seating and then back inside down into the basement.

She had to make up for all the time she had lost dealing with Mr. Todd and then her wounds, as well as calming Toby who she feared would cause some trouble if he held any kind of grudge against the Barber.

After bringing a fresh batch of meat pies up and handing them over to Toby to distribute, Nellie was topping off an old man sitting at the communal outdoor table when she saw someone entering through the gate into the Pie Shop.

Top hat, long coat and cane, Nellie was frustrated to see The Beadle coming to visit as if she didn't have so much else to deal with at the moment.

"Now just what do you want with us, today?" she demanded, blocking the Beadle's path into the area, "I told you already, we ain't hiding that sailor boy you've been looking for."

"I'm not here for the boy." The Beadle stated, "I'm here for Todd."

"Well you can't have him!" Nellie exclaimed, folding her arms, "He's not feeling well enough for company this afternoon."

"It'll only take but a minute." The Beadle offered, trying to step around the Baker.

"I don't care, Mr. Todd's not up for it today!" Nellie insisted, standing in front of him, "You can take your cane and go."

The Beadle took his cane, but instead of going, he raised it and brushed Nellie out of his path.

"I'll be seeing Mr. Todd now." He declared, pushing through the crowds of man devouring man and hurrying up the stairs to the Barber Shop.

"Fine." Nellie shrugged, watching him go, "It's your funeral."

Sweeney was reclining in his barber chair, trying to sleep, hoping that it was his lack of rest that caused his delusions.

His eyes didn't bother to open when he heard someone knock once and then walk right into his shop as he assumed it was only Mrs. Lovett.

"Mr. Todd."

Sweeney sat up and stared at the door.

The Beadle stood in front of him, taping his cane against the floor.

"Shop's closed." Sweeney grumbled, shutting his eyes and laying back again, "Come back tomorrow."

He really didn't feel like dealing with the Beadle today, especially because for all Sweeney knew, it could be another hallucination.

"I'm not here for a shave…"

_Not again! _

"Get out, get out, leave!" Sweeney shouted, mustering all his effort to keep his eyes closed and himself seated in his chair.

He would not fall victim to the same trick of the mind twice.

"Mr. Todd!" The Beadle exclaimed, "I am an officer of the court! Show some respect!"

Sweeney rolled his eyes beneath his lids.

Imagined or not, The Beadle was getting severely on his nerves.

As Sweeney stood up and opened his eyes, the razor Mrs. Lovett had tossed him fell from his lap and clanked on the floor.

He bent over to pick up, sincerely planning to throw it at The Beadle as soon as he got back up.

"Mr. Todd!" The Beadle repeated as Sweeney slowly lowered his arm towards the razor on the floor, "Hurry up, this is urgent!"

Sweeney continued to dally as he lifted the blade from the wood.

"The Honorable Judge Turpin…" The Beadle continued, "He needs your help! His ward, the young Joanna, has gone missing!"

Sweeney froze.

This was not some bizarre waking dream.

The Beadle was real and really there, asking for his assistance in finding Joanna who must have somehow escaped from Turpin's mansion.

"Really…?" Sweeney responded, upright and clutching his razor loosely in one hand.

"Yes and The Honorable Judge wants her found." The Beadle declared, "I have already deployed all the officers of the peace as well as set a reward for her safe return. But I know I can use all the help I can get in finding the girl as she is very dear to my boss. I know I need a professional of some sort, or perhaps, a hero…"

"Yes, sir, you certainly do." Sweeney agreed, back to the usual falsely cordial manner he used with his two enemies, "And I am just the man."

* * *

Joanna carried her dainty suitcase in one hand as she walked nervously down the dirty London streets.

Everything was gray.

The stones of the buildings, the suits and dresses of the people, even smoggy and cloudy skies.

Strange men watched hungrily the young girl without an escort and Joanna started walking faster, frightened.

She had no idea where she was going and almost regretted leaving her plush prison in favor of a dark and filthy freedom.

But deep down, Joanna knew she had to escape from her evil care-taker.

Each day living with him only got worse and he was getting less and less restrained in his behavior towards her.

She had to get out.

Joanna had hoped that Anthony would come for her, as he had a job and means of escaping the country all together, but she had waited too long now and had to take matters into her own hands.

Where she would go, what she would do, Joanna did not yet know but wherever, whatever it was, it would be better than where she had come from.

Or would it…

Making a decidedly wrong turn in the confusing maze that was London, Joanna found herself traveling down an alley.

She heard two screams and startled when a woman dressed in rags came at her, all but tackling her in the streets.

It was the beggar that sometimes loitered around her former home.

"They're coming!" the beggar woman warned in a hoarse whisper, "Run, little bird, run!"

The homeless woman released Joanna from her grasp and continued sprinting away from the alley.

Dusting herself off and trying to figure out what the crazy old woman was talking about, Joanna saw a skinny, unclean and unshaven man trudging towards her.

"Hello there," he hissed, sneering "Yous a pretty little thing ain't you…"

"Get away from me!" Joanna cried, backing away from the man.

But when she turned to run out of the alleyway, another man was standing in front of her.

He was larger and even harrier than the first.

"Oy, be more careful, little lady." He snarled, and then turned to his friend, "This one's even better than the crazy one, look at her, Ash."

"I reckon she's better than all the others." The skinny man, Ash decided, advancing on the other side of Joanna, "Better than all of them combined, what you think, Coal?"

"I think it true…" the fat man, Coal, agreed.

The two men surrounded Joanna, the bigger grabbing her and the smaller snatching her suitcase and rifling through it.

"She's a rich little broad too!" Ash snickered, "This stuff'll fetch us a ton at the market!"

"I'm sure the girl'll too." Coal added, "I'd pay to get a taste of this…"

He smelled Joanna's hair, drinking in the scent the way Turpin did.

Joanna lurched, struggling to get free.

"Let me go!" she cried, "Let me go, please!"

"Shut up!" Coal roared, clutching her tighter.

"No use in crying or trying to get free, girlie," Ash chuckled, "You ain't getting away from us…"

Tears fell from Joanna's eyes as the two men carried her off into the alley.

* * *

**PLEASEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE REVIEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW! (Yes I'm begging again!) **


	17. Planning

**Hi, here's the next chapter! I hope you like it! **

* * *

Out on the streets of London the shouts, whispers and general atmosphere of the crowds moving about alerted Sweeney to the fact that he wasn't the only one looking for his daughter.

Picking up his pace as he shoved through the masses minding their own business, Sweeney was brushed on both sides by two men.

"Sorry, sir!" they apologized in unison.

Sweeney ignored and continued down the cobblestone.

"Mr. Todd!" they called after him.

Sweeney stopped walking and turned to face Saul and Paul, the bearded twins he had regrettably met after saving their grandfather from drowning in a well.

"Mr. Todd!" Saul repeated, "Good afternoon!"

"We're on the hunt for that Judge Turpin's daughter." Paul declared, "They've put a bounty on her head for twelve hundred pounds!"

"Dead or alive!" Saul added before coughing and correcting himself, "Well actually just alive, but you get the picture!"

"Join us, Mr. Todd!" Paul offered, "We could use a hero like you to help us find the girl."

"And collect the reward." Saul agreed, winking "We'll split it three ways even. Four hundred to each of us!"

"No." Sweeney declined flatly, "I have to go."

He turned back in the direction he was originally heading and kept going.

"Another time, then!" The twins waved after him, "Goodbye, Mr. Todd!"

Sweeney just hurried along, glad that the brief encounter was over.

He didn't have time to waste.

He needed to find his daughter before Turpin, The Beadle or one of their bounty hunters (like Saul and Paul) did.

And so Sweeney was doing something he thought he would never in his life ever do.

He was looking for Anthony.

If Joanna was gone from the Judge's estate, then there was good chance that Anthony was behind it.

And as a reasonably good father, Sweeney would never let his daughter run off with Anthony.

Or be out and about in London unattended and unsafe.

Now Sweeney had never really cared to learn where Anthony lived and so was just aimlessly wandering the streets hoping to run into the young sailor.

He had no idea how long this would take, but he knew he eventually would find Anthony running around like the naïve and over-eager fool he was.

A week or so back, Sweeney had decided Anthony had repaid his debt to Mrs. Lovett for buying him out of prison (despite him only working off a third of the price and breaking as many dishes and spilling as much food to make up for it) and sent Anthony away.

He was now regretting that decision.

But before he could regret it for too long, Sweeney felt someone slam into him from behind as if they had been sprinting and then unable to stop in time.

He turned around to see Anthony.

"Mr. Todd, Mr. Todd!" Anthony yelled, gasping for breath.

"Anthony, just the man I was looking for!" Sweeney greeted, smiling.

"Mr. Todd I have to tell you what happened I just-wait, what?" Anthony began and then stopped, processing Sweeney's words, "You were?"

Sweeney had never been happy to see him, let alone been looking for him.

And by God, the man was smiling. Sweeney Todd was smiling.

Anthony was thoroughly, but very pleasantly, surprised.

"Yes, Anthony, my boy, I was." Sweeney affirmed, still uncharacteristically friendly, throwing an arm around Anthony's shoulder, "Now can you please tell me where Joanna is?"

"That's what I was coming to you for!" Anthony said, "I keep hearing everywhere that's she's gone missing! Everybody's looking for her! Oh, Mr. Todd please, you have to help me find her before they do!"

Sweeney's arm dropped from Anthony's shoulder and his smile faded into a frown.

"You mean you don't have her!" he asked.

"No, but I sure as hell mean to find her!" Anthony explained urgently, "I know you really don't like to get into situations like this but Joanna's out there somewhere and could be in trouble! I know I promised you I'd never ask you for help again, but I need your help, _she_ needs you help! So, please, Mr. Todd, will you help me find her? Will you?"

"Yes, Anthony, I will." Sweeney nodded.

"Oh thank you, Mr. Todd, thank you!" Anthony exclaimed, hugging Sweeney.

Sweeney pried Anthony off of him.

"I will help you." He stated, "But you have to do everything I say, no matter what it is, you have to listen to me and follow my orders."

"Okay." Anthony agreed, "Anything, as long as we find Joanna."

"Then let's go." Sweeney said.

The two shook hands and set off to find the beautiful young blonde.

* * *

Joanna sat tied in some rundown and abandoned building only accessible through a labyrinth of alleyways.

She had been crying and screaming, hoping someone would hear her and come to her aid, but after awhile she realized no one could hear her.

The two vagabonds who had captured her were in the next room of the condemned property, arguing over her fate.

"Well I think we should have her to ourselves!" she heard Coal boom, "She's prettier than all the rest and there'll be other girls we can sell!"

"None of those other girls'll make us the same money, though!" Ash countered, "Think of what we could buy with that sum! We could have all the girls we wanted!"

"But I don't want those girls, I want this one!" Coal argued, "If you've really gotta sell her, at least let me have some fun with her first!"

"No!" Ash refused, "You know used goods aren't worth half their original value! We need to keep her clean!"

"Fine!" Coal growled.

Joanna heard him stomp away from Ash until she watched him come through the doorframe into the room she was being held captive.

"Looks like you get it easy, lucky wench…" Coal grumbled walking past Joanna and towards the exit. Once he was at the door he called over to Ash, "I'm going out to pub! Watch her while I'm gone!"

"Don't take too long!" Ash responded from the other room.

"I'll take as long as I damn well want to!" Coal shot back and then went out the rotting wood door.

Then Joanna was alone again.

Now that the larger of the two men was gone, she would have a better chance of escaping as Ash was skinny and seemed almost sickly so would have a harder time overpowering her.

Joanna began to chew at the ropes binding her hands.

* * *

Sweeney and Anthony stood on Fleet Street, watching the people pass by them as the formulated their plan.

"Listen carefully, Anthony..." Sweeney began, "Everyone is going to be looking for Joanna since The Beadle's put a big reward for find her so to find her first we need to split up and cover the most ground we can."

"You're right." Anthony nodded, waiting for further instructions.

"I want you to go to the Bake Shop and tell Mrs. Lovett I want her to shut it down for the day." Sweeney continued, "Tell her I need her and Toby's help finding Joanna. She'll do what you say as long as you tell her I'm the one who told you to say it."

"Okay." Anthony accepted.

"Once the Bake Shop's closed I want you, Mrs. Lovett and Toby to take different sections of London looking for Joanna." Sweeney explained, "Mrs. Lovett can take eastside, Toby north and you can take Westside and the docks since you know them well."

"What about you, Mr. Todd?" Anthony asked, "What'll you be taking? South London?"

"Yes." Sweeney confirmed, "But while you're busy with Mrs. Lovett and Toby, I'll be down the street in John's pub over there. I'm going to see if anyone there knows anything."

"Alright." Anthony replied, "I'll go to the Bake Shop and you'll go to the pub, is that right?"

"That's right." Sweeney nodded.

"But what do we do if one of us finds her?" Anthony inquired.

"You come back to the Barber Shop and hide her upstairs." Sweeney decided, "We'll all meet down in the Bake Shop at six o' clock to check progress before we go out searching again."

After speaking, he and Anthony parted ways, walking in opposite directions down Fleet Street.

Reduced to the work of goons and lackeys, The Honorable Judge Turpin was pounding the pavement himself, scanning the streets for his ward.

"Joanna!" he called, hands cupped around his mouth, "Joanna! Where are you?"

When no one answers and people on the streets looked at him funny, Turpin realized he probably shouldn't be shouting.

Quieting himself and continuing his search, the Judge kept walking down the road.

This was going to be a long day.

It was about three o' clock and Nellie was coming up from the bake room carry a fresh tray of delicious human meat pies.

And then Anthony was right there.

After jumping in surprised, Nellie quickly shut the door behind her.

"Anthony!" she exclaimed, "You gave me quite the scare! What is it you need?"

"You have to shut down the Pie Shop immediately!" Anthony declared.

"Whatever for?" Nellie asked suspiciously, hoping that her secret recipe hadn't been discovered.

"Just do it!" Anthony yelled, grabbing Nellie by the arm so that she almost dropped the meals she was carrying.

He pulled her into the kitchen and slammed the door behind them.

"Anthony, what the _hell_ is this about?" Nellie demanded, "I've gotta shop to run, you know!"

"You have to shut it down!" Anthony repeated, "Mr. Todd says you must!"

"Why would Mr. T say a thing like that…?" Nellie wondered.

"Because Joanna is missing!" Anthony answered, "And we have to find her before Judge Turpin does!"

"Oh my god!" Nellie gasped, imagining the fragile little Joanna all alone on the streets of London.

She then imagined finding Joanna and impressing Mr. Todd by saving his daughter.

He would be so thankful he would marry her and they would all be a family and live with their daughter and son by the sea.

"But it's okay, Mr. Todd came up with a plan!" Anthony stated, "He, you, Toby and I are all to go a search for her!"

"I'll go get Toby." Nellie said, setting down her tray on the table.

* * *

Coal was sitting at the bar of John's pub, downing mug after mug of ale in the middle of the afternoon.

"Another one, Joe." He demanded, pounding the bar with his empty glass.

"Ain't even dark yet, friend." John responded, reaching to refill the mug, "And the name's John."

"Whatever, Jack." Coal grumbled, downing the ale in one gulp, "Another one."

"You gonna be able to pay for all that ale?" John asked, looking at Coal's raggedy attire and unwashed skin.

"Yeah I am!" Coal declared, "I'm gonna be coming into some money soon, if you have to know!"

"Eh, how's that?" John inquired skeptically, refilling the cup.

"Me and me mate just caught this girl." Coal explained, raising his glass to drink "A rich, pretty little broad, maybe fifteen or sixteen with hair as gold as the sun. A virgin too, I can see it in her big black eyes. She'll fetch quite a price when we sell her off!"

"I see." John breathed, disturbed at the tale of two men selling a young girl, "Hey, you know that sounds like the one they're all looking for, she does."

"What…?" Coal replied in confusion, pausing his cup in midair before taking a sip, "Looking for who?"

"The girl." John stated, "One just like you described. Some Judge's ward who's gone missing. He's put up a reward for her safe return and now everyone's out searching around for her! That's why my bar's empty."

"How much is that reward?" Coal asked, setting down his mug without drinking.

"I don't remember." John shrugged, "I think it's something like ten hundred pounds."

"Damn!" Coal exclaimed, jumping up from his barstool.

He then proceeded to run towards the exit of the pub.

"Hey wait a minute!" John called after him, "Where do you think you're going! You owe me!"

"Put it on me tab, Jim!" Coal shouted as he exited.

John slapped the polished wood bar in frustration, sighing.

Ten years and about a thousand drinks ago he would have chased after the man.

But now he was too old and had too much of a gut to even defend his profits from thieves.

Just as Coal was leaving, John saw someone entering.

"Hello there, Mr. Todd!" John greeted, "What will you be drinking?"

"Nothing." Sweeney replied walking up to the bar to stand across from John, "I just stopped in to ask a question."

"Well what is it you need to ask me, then?" John asked, a little annoyed that he had had only one customer since the whole 'missing girl' business began and that customer hadn't even paid.

"You know that girl that's gone missing?" Sweeney began.

"Yeah, I heard about that." John responded, "Everyone's out looking for her, that's why my bar's empty!"

"Well I was wondering if you had heard anything about her." Sweeney continued, "Any information at all about where she could be."

"As a matter of fact I have." John declared, "But it'll cost you."

"How much?" Sweeney asked, reaching into his pocket and deciding weather to pull out his wallet or his razor.

"You've gotta sit here and have a few drinks and then pay me for it." John answered, "Bad for business, having an empty bar is."

"Fine." Sweeney agreed, sitting down on the closest stool.

John grabbed a mug and filled it, handing it to Sweeney.

Sweeney took it and chugged it, instantly regretting how fast he had drank it as he was starting to feel a bit sick to his stomach

"So you gonna tell me or what?" he barked.

"What's your rush, have another." John offered, pouring more ale into the glass.

Sweeney sipped the second drink, slower than the first, but still quicker than he would have wanted because he was in a hurry to find his daughter.

Once he was finished, John refilled his mug.

"No more." Sweeney growled, "If you ever want to see me back here, tell me now."

"Alright, alright." John conceded setting back down his pitcher, "A man was just in here, not ten minutes ago, who told me he and his friend had just kidnapped a girl matching the description of the missing one. When I told him about the reward money he rushed off! Without even paying, the fat asshole!"

"Which way did he go!" Sweeney demanded.

"Well I don't know." John shrugged, "He was coming out when you were coming in, I'm sure you saw him."

"Goddammit." Sweeney growled, standing up and smacking down his mug, "I've got to go."

John watched as he hurried towards the exit.

"Wait a minute!" He shouted after Sweeney, once it dawned on him what had just happened, "You didn't pay me!"

* * *

Joanna's teeth ached, stuck between them were bits of gnawed off rope.

She was almost through what bound her hands when she heard the door to the abandoned, rundown building burst open and someone come stomping in.

Quickly Joanna threw her hands from her mouth into her lap and looked down so as not to meet Coal's gaze as he loped by her into the next room where Ash waited.

Once he was gone, Joanna begin furiously chewing at the ropes again, trying to set herself free before it was too late.

"I'm telling you, Ash, everybody and their brother are out there looking for that girl!" Coal declared, "There's a reward for fifteen hundred pounds on her!"

He and Ash were in a dusty room in some abandoned building in the wrong side of town they were squatting in.

Ash was sitting, leaning back, legs propped up on a table. He kept rocking back and forth because the chair he was using had one leg shorter than the others.

"Why would there be a reward for her?" Ash asked skeptically, "She hasn't even been gone a whole day!"

"Because her father is some kind of politician, he is!" Coal explained, excited at the prospect of the reward money, "Someone important and rich enough to offer the kind of money he's putting up to have her found!"

"Okay." Ash considered, "So what if we do bring this girl to him, then what? We walk off with the money? I don't think so. All she would have to do is tell her daddy that we kidnapped her and were planning to sell her off and we'd be hung!"

"I ain't thinking about collecting the reward." Coal stated, "I'm thinking about holding the girl for ransom…"

Ash smiled, nodding his head.

"Good idea, Coal." He complimented, "Now go get her and bring her in here."

Coal walked through the door-less frame separating the two lower floors of the condemned house into the next room until Ash could no longer see him.

"She's gone…" Ash heard Coal mutter.

"What?" Ash exclaimed, his chair giving way and sending him falling to the dirt below.

Jumping up and brushing himself off, Ash rushed into the next room to join Coal.

"She's gone!" he repeated, roaring and kicking that wall.

"Damn this!" Ash cursed, "We have to find her!"

The two ruffians ran out of the building.

* * *

**Please review!**


	18. Lost and Found

**THANK YOU ALL SOOOOOOO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWSSSS! (Keep 'em coming lol) Here's the next chapter because you all have been so nice! **

* * *

Anthony was running.

Rows of boats and ships making port and sailing off were to his left and rows of warehouses and other nautical related buildings were to his right.

Joanna was nowhere in sight.

A group of sailors appeared in front of Anthony, descending from a large ship.

He rushed over to them, waving to get their attention.

"Yes, boy?" the captain said, turning to face Anthony, speaking in a foreign accent, "What do you need?"

"Excuse me, sirs, but have you seen a girl?" Anthony asked, "She's around sixteen, petite, with yellow hair!"

"We haven't seen any girls." the captain replied, shrugging "We just got here."

"But we would love to meet her!" his first mate laughed, "It sure has been a long time at sea…"

Offended by the man joke, Anthony ran on down the boardwalk with such a speed the group of sailor's had to jump out of his way.

As he continued down the docks, Anthony saw a familiar ship.

Men were carrying boxes and other materials on to the large boat, its sails were being opened and steam was rising from under the deck.

Anthony screeched to halt and tried to run back the way he had come.

But before he could, an angry voice called out to him.

"Anthony! Anthony Hope!"

He turned to see a well dressed, but burly man stomping towards him.

"C-Captain Sanders!" Anthony saluted, shivering in fear.

"Where were you, boy?" Sanders demanded, "We're about leave this damn city!"

"I was—well I-I just-"Anthony stammered, trying to find an explanation for why he wasn't planning to sail away with the rest of the crew as he was hired to

"I warned you, boy, about jumping ship!" Sanders reminded, pointing a finger towards Anthony, "You made a commitment, you can't go back on your word!"

"But I need to find her!" Anthony exclaimed.

"Find who? Well it doesn't matter!" Sanders stated, "There will be other girls in other cities. Get on that ship now, we're sailing in ten minutes!"

"I'm so sorry, Captain, sir!" Anthony apologized, "But I can't. I have to find her!"

With that, Anthony sprinted away as fast as he could.

"Damn deserter!" Sanders shouted after him, shaking his fist, "I'll have the navy on you!"

Nellie had to be the one who found Joanna.

She just had to.

As she searched the streets of London for the Judge's ward with urgency, Nellie reminded herself of all the good things that would come if she located the girl.

First off, Mr. Todd would get his daughter back and Anthony would have the love of his life (and they could work out who actually got her amongst themselves).

Second, Joanna would be safe but also free from Turpin who had probably been doing unspeakable things to her. She could live a normal life with her father and of course, loving step-mother Eleanor Lovett.

But lastly, and most importantly, finding Mr. Todd's daughter would finally earn Nellie his respect, his admiration and quite possibly even his love.

And so she had to be the one who found Joanna.

Nellie combed the damp, gray streets, peeking into every alley for any sign of the lost young woman.

Just as she was crossing a street, Nellie saw a tress of long blonde hair sway behind a tall, stone building.

Nellie changed directions and hurried after it.

"Joanna!" she called, "Joanna, dear!"

Nellie chased the flowing yellow locks until they hit a dead-end of a side street.

The blonde cowered in a corner, backing as far away from Nellie as she could.

"Joanna, love, don't be afraid." Nellie comforted, bending down and extending a hand, "I can help you."

"I need no help from the Devil's wife!" the blonde spat, turning to snarl at Nellie.

_The beggar woman! _

"Not you, again!" Nellie growled, "I wasn't looking for you, I want your daughter!"

"I know who you're looking for!" Lucy Barker declared, jumping up from the corner, "You're looking for my little bird! The last pure thing in this hell! She's flown free from her cage but you will never catch her! She is an angel, my little bird is, and you will never have her!"

Nellie backed away from the shouting beggar, put off by her outburst.

Maybe she wouldn't be a good mother to Joanna…

Maybe with all the killing and cannibalism going on around Fleet Street wasn't the best environment to bring the poor girl into…

Maybe with all she had done, Nellie wouldn't make a good mother or even a good person…

_Maybe she didn't deserve Joanna. _

"I ain't gonna hurt her." Nellie attempted, "All I want to do is help the girl, be a good mother to her… love her!"

"You and your Devil will be no help to my little bird!" Lucy howled, "All you will do is pollute her! Turn her into a demon just like the rest of this sinful, smoggy city! How dare you? You will be no mother to her! A she-demon cannot mother and the Devil cannot sire an angel!"

Before Nellie could respond, Lucy slapped her down onto the muddy cobblestone and ran off, out of the alley.

"I'll protect her, I will!" she crooned as she dashed away, "I'll guard my little angel from you and all the demons of this city!"

Standing up and brushing herself off, Nellie watched Mr. Todd's wife from a past life rush to find her daughter.

Toby was trudging around London, checking every little nook and cranny he could fit his small body into for Joanna.

He really didn't get why Mrs. Lovett had to shut down the whole Pie Shop and they had to spend the rest of the afternoon searching for Anthony's girlfriend.

It was too bad that she was lost, but why was that his or Mrs. Lovett's problem.

Or better yet, why was it Mr. Todd's problem?

It was on orders from him that Mrs. Lovett shut down her shop, but he had no reason why he should care that some girl Anthony loved was missing.

Yet here they were, all searching for the yellow-haired Joanna.

Toby knew why Mr. Todd was so interested in finding the girl.

There was the reward money, which Toby kept over-hearing about, but Mr. Todd and Mrs. Lovett were pretty rich from their businesses.

No, the reason Mr. Todd wanted to find this Joanna girl was because he wanted to keep up the appearance of being a hero.

He was tricking everyone into thinking he was this Good Samaritan, even Mrs. Lovett.

But Toby knew better.

He knew that it was Mr. Todd who slashed Mrs. Lovett up the other day.

There was no one else who could have done it that Mrs. Lovett wouldn't have told him about.

And Mr. Todd had the razors, the perfect weapons for cutting someone.

Toby didn't know why Mr. Todd had done it, but he didn't care.

He would make sure his little hero farce fell apart and would expose Mr. Todd for what he really was…

…_.a demon! _

Just like that old beggar woman would cry in the streets.

And then Mrs. Lovett would kick his butt to the curb and Toby would finally have his mum all to himself.

So Toby had to find Joanna and get her to Anthony quickly, before Mr. Todd could take the credit and make everyone believe he was the hero all over again.

But before Toby could concoct a plan of how he would go about doing that, he saw The Beadle strutted towards him.

Toby tried to run but The Beadle held out his cane to block the boy.

"Just where do you think your going, you little brat?" he hissed.

"Anywhere I want!" Toby declared, "You're not the boss of me!"

"I am an official of the court!" The Beadle stated, "I am the boss of everyone!"

"What about that Judge Turpin?" Toby reminded, "You're not the boss of him! He's your boss!"

"Nevermind that!" The Beadle snarled, slapping his cane at Toby's feet threateningly, "All I need from you is to tell me the whereabouts of Mr. Todd."

"What's it to you?" Toby asked suspiciously.

"I hired him to find the Honorable Judge Turpin's ward, Joanna." The Beadle answered, "I need to ask him his progress."

_So Mr. Todd was in league with The Beadle! _

Toby knew Mr. Todd was evil!

"I don't know where he is." Toby shrugged, "He has us all out looking for the girl though, but none of us have found her."

"That's not good enough!" The Beadle snapped, slapping Toby on his leg with the cane, "I need to talk to him now!"

"Ow!" Toby squealed, jumping away from The Beadle in pain, "What do you need Mr. Todd so bad for anyway!"

"Because the Honorable Judge Turpin is wandering the streets like a madman," The Beadle explained, "He's distraught looking for his ward. If you see Todd, tell him that he needs to find Joanna now!"

"I'm not telling him anything!" Toby replied, folding his arms.

"Fine then, boy!" The Beadle snapped, "If you don't tell him I'll have you sent to the orphanage! I know that baker isn't your real mother and I doubt she has the proper adoption papers…"

"Whatever, I'll tell him…" Toby conceded, rolling his eyes.

"Good boy." The Beadle complimented patronizingly, patting Toby on the head.

"Keep your grubby hands off me!" Toby squealed, escaping from the Beadle's grasp and running down the street.

"You tell Todd, boy!" The Beadle shouted after him, "Or it's the orphanage for you!"

Joanna ducked further behind the dead tree in the dark alley she had rushed into when she heard two familiar voices drawing closer.

"How could you let this happen?" Coal's slow and gurgling voice, "How could you let her get away! I leave for ten minutes…!"

"Ten minutes? You were gone over an hour!" Ash's scratchy hiss.

"Was not!" Coal countered, "Besides, it don't matter. You lost her! And now we'll never get the money!"

"You were the one who tied the ropes!" Ash disagreed, "If you had tied them right, she wouldn't have escaped! This is all_ your_ fault!"

"No, it's you're fault!"

"It's your fault!"

"No!"

"No!"

Joanna flinched when she heard the arguing stop and a scuffle begin.

Her captors rolled, tussling, into the alley she was hiding in.

Luckily, they were too busy punching, kicking and elbowing each other to notice Joanna crouching in fear behind a sickly, dead tree.

Finally, the men broke for a second, stopping to catch their breath.

"We need to stop fighting, Coal!"

"You're only saying that because you're losing!"

"No! We'll find her this way! Don't you want the money?"

"I dunno, Ash! Maybe I just wanna kill you!"

Coal advanced on Ash who pulled out a pocket knife.

Joanna squinted again, not wanting to watch the bloodbath she anticipated was about to occur.

Coal grabbed a branch to defend himself off of the dead tree, causing the tree to shake and fall to the ground.

Suddenly Joanna was in full view.

"There she is!" Coal exclaimed, "My god, there she is!"

"Are we the luckiest men in London, or are we not?" Ash sneered.

"I assure you two…that you are not."

Coal and Ash whirled around from surrounding Joanna to see a figure standing at the entrance to the alleyway.

He was holding a blade in each hand.

"Run, girl, run." He told Joanna and she popped up from her place on the cobblestone and dashed past the three men.

The man advanced on Ash and Coal.

"Hey, man, back off!" Ash begged, backing away.

"I know that guy, Ash!" Coal declared, "Remember when I stole that silverware from that little boy? He was the one who came and forced me to give it back!"

"Oh my god!" Ash exclaimed, "That means, it's that hero guy from Fleet Street!"

"Yeah, that Sleepy Tom guy!" Coal identified.

"Hey man, if you're such a hero…" Ash said, addressing the figure who was obviously Sweeney Todd, "that means you can't kill us."

"Yeah, he's right!" Coal agreed, "You can't touch us! It wouldn't be heroic, now would it?"

Sweeney smirked, still stepping slowly and menacingly towards the two men.

"Contrary to popular belief…" He began, "I am no hero. My name isn't even really Sweeney Todd. Two facts that neither of you will live to tell the public."

Coal and Ash each took one more step backwards and felt stone wall.

Turpin took a breath, leaning against a red brick wall on some street somewhere in London.

It wasn't the richest area, nor the cleanest (not to say that London really had clean areas to begin with) and he was sure he had never set foot in this neighborhood before.

The Judge had been roaming around London all day, searching for his ward without rest, food or even a drink to keep him going.

Joanna was so small, so beautiful…

She needed to be protected, sheltered, kept hidden from this cesspool of a city that would do her nothing but harm.

Turpin remembered what it had done to her mother…

He thought he could save Lucy; he tried as hard as he could to guard her from the cruel realities of the city.

He had rescued her from a life of poverty with a barber for a husband.

He had attempted to lift her up into his world of luxury and status.

_But he had failed. _

Lucy took the poison, his world having proved too much for her.

She died and no one ever found her body and there was no funeral.

Turpin had the apothecary who sold Lucy the lethal dose executed once he had found out what happened.

And then after that he sent for the girl.

That Pie Maker who lived in dirty poverty would be not be fit as the guardian of such a beautiful child born of such a beautiful mother.

Turpin had The Beadle remove the child from the Baker's custody and bring her to him.

And ever since then, he had tried to be the best guardian and protector of his beautiful ward Joanna.

Despite her growing more mature and gorgeous everyday, becoming even more the stunning young lady her mother had been, The Judge had always controlled himself around her.

He swore that he would never make the mistake he did with her mother again, and act on his affections too soon.

But now Joanna was gone and all Turpin could do is hope he found her before something terrible happened and another rare beauty in this ugly city was destroyed.

The Judge started walking again, and turned a corner to find The Beadle, also out of breath, leaning both hands on his cane.

"Your honor! Thank god I've found you!" The Beadle panted.

"What were you doing looking for me?" Turpin snapped, "You should be trying to find Joanna!"

"I hired hundreds of men to find her!" The Beadle stated, standing up straight, "But when I realized you were out on the streets I got worried, sir!"

"I'm fine!" Turpin dismissed.

"Look at you, your honor, you haven't been to your office since this morning!" The Beadle countered, "Have you eaten at all today?"

"I don't have time for that, my Joanna is missing!" Turpin replied, "Now let's keep looking!"

"Surely, sir, you must take a break and have something to eat." The Beadle suggested.

"Not until I find her!" Turpin declared, pushing past The Beadle to continue his search.

Just as The Beadle was going to protest again, a cloaked form ran at he and the Judge from out of some alleyway.

"Get back, fiend!" The Beadle commanded, smacking at the person with his cane, "You dare threaten The Honorable Judge Turpin?"

"I threaten not the Black God of this black city…" the crooked voice of an old woman crooned from beneath the cloak that hid her face, "I come only to set the balance back into order. To return things to as they once were…"

"What are you babbling on about?" The Beadle inquired, confused.

He used his cane to lift the hood from the face of the strange old woman.

"Sir, isn't that the beggar who loiters around your mansion?" he asked Turpin, who examined the form's dirt covered face.

"I believe it is." Turpin assessed.

"I am but a ghost…" Lucy Barker sighed, "I am no more what I was. I am gone, yet still I am here. I see all."

"You see all?" Turpin repeated, "Well have you seen a young girl, with beautiful, long yellow hair?"

"The little bird!" the beggar exclaimed, "My sweet angel!"

Both the Judge and The Beadle looked at the woman strangely, offended at her words.

"She's crazy, sir, she has nothing to tell us of any value." The Beadle decided, "Come, your honor, let's leave this raving wench."

He then proceeded to lead Turpin away from the beggar woman, but she rushed after them, tugging on the tails of The Judge's suit jacket.

"No! I must tell you!" she cried.

"Don't touch him!" The Beadle warned, prying Lucy off of Turpin with his cane, "Or you'll be swinging in the wind, you old loon!"

"What must you tell me, woman?" Turpin asked, turning around to scan the woman's face and finding that he found it oddly familiar.

"The angel in the window…the bird singing in her cage!" she began, "She's flown away…and been caught in the web of two spiders!"

"She's obviously mad and has no idea what she is saying!" The Beadle said, "Let's go, your honor."

"No, no…" The Judge decline, waving his employee away, "She's talking about Joanna…she knows where she is!"

"Demons are out searching for her!" Lucy howled, "The Devil and his wife! Humpty Dumpty and all the king's horses and all the king's men! They all search for my yellow haired angel! But it is the demons who will find her!"

"Demons?" Turpin repeated, bending down to the beggar's slumping level, "What demons?"

"The Devil and his wife…" she explained, "When they find her they will take her to the place where they slaughter pigeons and feed their feathers back into their own beaks! The Devil kills and his wife cooks! That house is a hell on this earth! The blood, the red tears of the dead! That is where they will take my little bird!"

"Where? Where?" Turpin demanded, shaking the woman, "Where will they take my Joanna? What is the place called?"

Lucy bore deep into the Judge's eyes, as if to mentally communicate all the horrors she had witnessed at the Barber and Pie Shop.

"Tell me, tell me now!" Turpin shouted, "Where! Where?"

The beggar woman took a deep breath and then answered.

"Fleet Street."

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	19. Just A Bird In a Cage

**Again, thank you all so much for the reviews, you have no idea how much they mean to me! **

* * *

Joanna was running.

She had no idea where she was going.

All she knew was to run, to run far away from that alley like the man had told her.

She had seen it in his eyes; _he was going to kill Ash and Coal._

Joanna didn't want to be there when it happened, or if the man decided to kill her next.

But before she could get far enough away she heard screams and then footsteps.

Joanna spun around and saw the man from the alley striding towards her.

His formerly white shirt was now decorated with jagged, red stripes.

She tried to run, but found herself frozen in fear, shaking.

"Please, sir, don't!" Joanna cried, throwing her hands to push him away, "Please, no! Please!"

The man grabbed both of her shoulders and looked her straight in the eye.

She was shocked at how similar to her own his were.

"I will never hurt you." He stated, "Don't cry. You're safe now. Come with me."

After everything that had happened that day, Joanna wasn't sure that she should believe the words of a strange man she had never seen before but for some reason she felt as if she could trust him.

"Okay." She nodded.

It was a quarter past six o' clock and the sun was setting in the sky.

The dusk would have been beautiful had the sun not been covered by gray clouds, making the whole of London as dark as if it was deep into twilight.

In the kitchen of the Pie Shop, Mrs. Lovett, Toby and Anthony all sat at the table, waiting.

"He said we'd all meet back here at six." Anthony said, tapping his hands and feet nervously, "Why isn't he back yet?"

"I'm sure Mr. T'll be back in no time." Mrs. Lovett decided, "I'll start dinner while we wait for him."

She stood up from her chair and crossed over to the platform she cooked on.

"We shouldn't be sitting here waiting, with all due respect!" Anthony shouted, jumping up, "We should be out there looking for Joanna!"

"Anthony, sit down!" Mrs. Lovett instructed, rolling some dough, "We'll wait here until Mr. Todd gets back and then he'll tell us what we should do!"

"But we're wasting time!" Anthony pleaded, "Joanna is out there! She could be in trouble! For all we know, Mr. Todd could have found her and then someone could have come along and done something to them! We need to find them!"

"Mr. Todd is fine." Mrs. Lovett shot down, "And if he's found Joanna, so is she."

"But-"

"Shut up, Anthony!" Toby snapped, "If you wanna find your girlfriend go find her yourself! We don't even need to be involved in this, right mum?"

"Oh, Toby dear." Mrs. Lovett sighed, "Joanna's a girl need. She's like you, love. She needs a good home and family to take care of her. And when we find her, she'll come live with us and help out in the shop. I'm sure you'll make a great little brother to her."

"I guess…" Toby shrugged, sinking down in his seat because he hadn't really wanted a sister (being at the stage where young boys still think girls are gross).

"Hey, wait a minute!" Anthony exclaimed, "I thought Joanna was coming with me, not going to live with you! I'm taking her to France with me, that way Judge Turpin can never find us!"

"The poor dear's been through such a lot." Mrs. Lovett reasoned, "You can't just whisk her away out of the country like that."

"But it's the only way we can be safe from the Judge!" Anthony reminded.

"That Judge ain't going to live forever." Mrs. Lovett said, beginning to chop vegetables with a large kitchen knife, "It's only a matter of time before we never have to deal with that old son of a bitch again, pardon my French."

"That word isn't French…" Anthony responded, confused, sitting down slowly in the chair he had come up from.

"What do you know about French?" Toby snickered, "All you know is Spanish!"

"I had a very respectable French teacher, I did!" Anthony declared.

Toby and Mrs. Lovett shook their heads, rolling their eyes.

Mrs. Lovett scooped up all the vegetables and tossed them into an empty pie crust.

"I'll just go put this in the oven and be right back up…" She chirped, heading towards the door to the Bakehouse, carrying the pie, "Toby will you go into the pantry and get us all some ale?"

"Can it be gin?" Toby attempted hopefully, quickly standing up.

"We're outta gin." Mrs. Lovett stated, annoyed, "Thanks to you…"

"I'll go get the ale!" Toby said sheepishly, trotting towards the pantry as Mrs. Lovett continued towards the black metal basement door.

They both stopped when they heard the bell of the Pie Shop ting.

All eyes in the room flew to the front door to watch a bloody Sweeney lead a tired but relieved yellow-haired girl inside.

"Joanna!" Anthony exclaimed, once again jumping from his seat.

He rushed over and pulled her from Sweeney's arms into his own.

"I was so worried about you, out there alone!" he sobbed, hugging Joanna as tightly as he could, "But it all turned out! Mr. Todd has found you and now we can be together!"

"Anthony!" Joanna breathed, happy to see a familiar face and throwing her arms around him, "I'm so glad…I'm so glad to be safe, to be free from those men, to be free from my guardian, to be with you…all of you."

Joanna's tear stained but smiling face acknowledging Anthony, Sweeney, Mrs. Lovett and Toby each in turn.

"Thank you all." She continued, releasing herself from Anthony's embrace and addressing the group, "Thank you all so much for sheltering me here, for protecting me and saving my life. You all have been the only ones ever to be kind to me. I am so grateful."

"You're very welcome, my dear." Mrs. Lovett smiled, setting down the uncooked dinner and going over to Joanna, putting an arm around the girl, "We were all out looking for you, we were."

"Thank you." Joanna repeated, looking up at her and then over to Sweeney, "And thank you, sir. If you hadn't come when you did…I don't even want to know what they would have done to me."

Sweeney nodded, silently saying 'your welcome'.

Just then Anthony noticed Sweeney's bloody shirt.

"My gosh, Mr. Todd!" he shouted, "What happened?"

"Oh love, you've gone a ruined a good clean white shirt…" Mrs. Lovett chided, pushing past Anthony, and reaching for Sweeney's buttons, "Let me get this into the wash before the stain sets…"

There really was no rush to wash the shirt.

It was only meant as a means of distracting Anthony from asking too many questions…

…or maybe just an excuse for Mrs. Lovett to get Sweeney's shirt off.

"It's fine." Sweeney declined, pushing her away, "That's not important right now."

"What happened?" Anthony asked again, curiosity not resting.

Sweeney opened his mouth, trying to think of a good lie to tell but before he could speak Joanna did.

"He had to do it." She answered, "Two men had me captured. I got away but they found me again. He had to kill them to save me. He had to do."

"Oh." Anthony said, unsure of how to react.

The room was silent for a few seconds.

"Come now, everyone, sit down, it's been a long day!" She chirped, "I'll get dinner on the table and we can all have a lovely meal together and talk about what we're going to do. Toby go get that ale! I'll be back in a minute!"

Toby and Mrs. Lovett hurried off to complete their tasks, leaving Sweeney, Joanna and Anthony to do as they were told and sit down.

The table was quiet.

Sweeney was sure Anthony would have all sorts of romantic things to say to his daughter had someone else not been in the room.

Instead Anthony broke the awkward silence with, "So you really did it, Mr. Todd. You really killed them…"

Sweeney nodded.

"I had to."

"I know but still…" Anthony pried, "You never struck me as the killing kind. You've always been such a good, helpful, even heroic person…I wouldn't have thought you could do such a thing."

"I had to." Sweeney repeated.

"Yes, yes you did." Anthony agreed, "You did what you had to and that makes me admire you even more, Mr. Todd. If it we're for you I would have never have been able to be with Joanna. You saved her and I am forever indebted to you."

"As am I." Joanna added, "In his letters, Anthony has told me about you, Mr. Todd and how you've helped so many people. You even saved Tony from being hung and now you've saved my life as well. There is no way I can ever repay you for that…"

Although he enjoyed being with his daughter whom he hadn't seen in more than fifteen years, all the countless 'thank yous' were getting quite tiresome to Sweeney.

"You're welcome and there is no need for repayment." He stated, trying his best to sound un-annoyed, "So I'll hear no more talk of that."

"But Mr. Todd—"

"None, Anthony."

Anthony and Joanna nodded.

Sweeney glared as they scooted closer together on the bench and Anthony weaseled his arm around Joanna's shoulders while pretending to yawn.

It was quiet again.

"Oh, I'm so sleepy…" Joanna sighed, leaning her head against Anthony's shoulder as he began to stroke her blonde tresses.

"Where's that damn boy with that damn ale?" Sweeney growled.

The sight of Anthony with his hands all over his little Joanna was too much.

If only he didn't have to keep his identity a secret, Sweeney would have set Anthony straight a long time ago.

Toby finally reentered the room, trying to carefully carry five bottles of ale.

"Go help him, Anthony." Sweeney ordered, seizing his opportunity to separate Anthony and Joanna.

"Alright!" Anthony agreed, jumping up and running over to Toby, attempting to relieve his burden but instead spilling two bottles to the floor, "Sorry!"

Joanna watched giggling, standing up and going over to help.

"No, you don't have to!" Anthony and Sweeney both said at the same time, Sweeney getting up to pick up the bottles of ale himself rather than have his daughter any closer to Anthony.

"It's the least I can do, really." Joanna smiled, bending to pick up the glass bottles.

Sweeney could have sworn he saw Anthony checking out her behind as she bent.

Finally, Mrs. Lovett returned, carrying a tray of freshly baked pies for dinner.

Sweeney shot her a questioning glance and she shook her head, indicating that it was human-meat free.

"Sit down everyone and let's have a nice dinner." She chimed, sitting the tray on the table.

Sweeney could tell she was enjoying her time 'playing house'.

Toby, Sweeney, Anthony and Joanna went to the table, each carrying a bottle of ale except for Toby who carried two.

Sweeney sat down right between Anthony and Joanna, causing Anthony to look at him funny, a look Sweeney pretended not to notice.

Toby sat next to Mrs. Lovett and they began dolling out the pies and ales.

Just as everyone was ready to eat there was a sharp knock on the door.

"I'll get it, mum!" Toby squeaked, leaping out of his chair and answering the door.

Once he saw who it was, Toby tried to re-shut the door but was unable to stop the evening visitors from barging their way in.

"That old beggar woman was right!" Judge Turpin declared once he was in the kitchen of the Pie Shop, "Joanna is being held captive here!"

"Get out of my shop right now!" Mrs. Lovett shouted, rushing from the table to stand with Toby at the door so they could block Turpin and The Beadle from getting further into the room.

"Not until I get my ward back!" Turpin replied, then turning to Joanna who looked away, "Joanna, come!"

"Hand over the girl right now!" The Beadle threatened, waving his cane, "Or it'll be the noose for all you!"

"Joanna's not going anywhere!" Anthony yelled, standing up in front of Joanna.

"How did I know you'd be a part of this, boy?" Turpin snarled, "You better make your stand now, boy, because you're going to die when all of this is over!"

"No!" Joanna cried, holding tightly to Anthony.

"No one is going to die." Sweeney stated, standing up and approaching The Judge and The Beadle, "Except you two, perhaps…"

He reached into his pockets and pulled out his razors, aiming them both at his two enemies.

Sweeney didn't care who saw him kill them or what would happen to him after he did.

Sweeney didn't care if his cover was broken, if he and Mrs. Lovett's secret business was discovered and they both were hung…

Sweeney didn't care about anything at all, as long as Judge Turpin and The Beadle died that night and Joanna was free from them forever.

"Mr. Todd!" Mrs. Lovett gasped, "Have you gone mad?"

"Shut up." Sweeney barked, pointing one of the razors briefly at her as a warning.

"What are you planning to do with those, barber?" Turpin scoffed, "Kill us? That beggar woman did mention something about you being some kind of a killer. I just assumed she was insane…"

"I've already killed two men today who tried to lay a hand on Joanna with these very razors." Sweeney told him, caressing his 'friends', "Why not two more?"

"You wouldn't dare…" Turpin replied.

"The Honorable Judge Turpin is a high officer of the court!" The Beadle reminded, "Threatening his life is grounds for automatic execution! He'll have you hung, Todd!"

"And just how will the 'honorable' judge sign the death warrant…" Sweeney growled, "…if he is already dead?"

Sweeney raised his razors as if he was conducting a symphony, preparing to slice through two throats.

"Mr. T!" Mrs. Lovett screeched, holding her adoptive son's face to her skirts, "Toby, don't look! Joanna don't you look, either!"

"Mr. Todd, you can't!" Anthony yelled, already closing his eyes.

The Judge and Beadle ran for the door once they realized Sweeney was serious.

He dove in front of them, slamming the door closed, trapping them in.

The Beadle threw up his cane to block Sweeney from getting closer to him and Turpin, but Sweeney just smacked it down to the floor.

"No!" Turpin shouted.

"No!" The Beadle shouted.

"Yes!" Sweeney shouted, grinning wider than he had since he was arrested and shipped off to the Australian prison without a trial.

He brought his razors right to the throats of his enemies, preparing to deliver that fatal slash.

"No!"

Sweeney couldn't move.

Holding him still with two skinny arms from behind was his daughter.

"Let go of me, girl!" he demanded, "I'm trying to help you!"

"You can't do this!" Joanna cried, "No more killing! You're a good man, a hero! You can't be a killer! Not again!"

"It's too late for that!" Sweeney snapped, "Let go of me!"

Joanna swerved her body around Sweeney so that was standing in front of him, between him and the two corrupt officials he wanted to kill.

"I will not!" Joanna refused, "I won't let you kill anymore people on my behalf! It's not right! No one else should die because of me."

"Get out of the way!" Sweeney roared.

"No!" Joanna screamed, "I'll _die_ before someone else does because of me!"

"That's right, Todd!" Turpin laughed, putting a hand on Joanna's shoulder, "You can't touch me! I win! And tomorrow you'll hang for this! Let's go Joanna, Beadle."

Turpin attempted to herd Joanna towards the exit with The Beadle at his side, but she would not move.

"No!" Joanna repeated, "No more will die!"

"But, Joanna, my dear…" Turpin tried, "This man and his accomplices tried to keep you away from me. No one can keep you from me and get away with it! They must die!"

"I_ ran_ away from you! Do I have to die for that, too?" Joanna snapped, turning to face Turpin, "These people were kind to me, they sheltered me! They showed me, for whatever brief period it was, what it is like to have a family, to have love! Something you never gave me!"

"But I love you, my dear Joanna!" Turpin exclaimed, "I always have! That's why I kept you safe from the dangers of this damned city! That's why I wanted you all for myself…"

"Well you can have me now." Joanna said sadly, "You can have me all to yourself-as long as you promise to leave Mr. Todd, Mrs. Lovett, Toby and especially Anthony alone. You must promise not to arrest them, not to have them hung or jailed, or bothered in anyway. If you promise me that, I will be yours."

"Okay, sure, my dear." Turpin shrugged, grabbing Joanna, "I won't bother these…_people_. Now let's go!"

Turpin again tried to usher Joanna to the door, but again she wouldn't move.

"Your word." She stated, "You must give me your word that no harm will come to them."

Turpin thought for a moment.

"Fine…" he sighed finally, "I give you my word, Joanna, that I will not hurt these people….now let's leave this damn shop, this damn street and go home."

Joanna nodded and followed him towards the door, The Beadle opening it for them.

"No!" Sweeney yelled, trying to stop them.

It took all of Mrs. Lovett's strength to hold him back.

"Joanna, no!" Anthony called, running as close as he could to his love.

Tears were flowing freely from his eyes. Joanna could barely stand to look at him.

But she did.

She too would have been crying but she had no tears left. She knew what she was doing was the right thing. It was the only way Anthony and her new friends would keep their lives.

"I'm sorry." She apologized. "Goodbye, Anthony…"

And then she was gone.

Pulled down from the skies, the little bird was returned to her golden cage.

* * *

**Another story arc complete lol! Sorry guys, Sweeney and his crew lost this round to Turpin...But don't worry, it all works out in the end (no it doesn't). Please review! **


	20. Hope And The Hopeless

**This one's a bit short and doesn't have any Sweeney or very much of Mrs. Lovett...sorry...but it's setting up for what's gonna happen next chapter! Thanks again again for all the reviews!**

* * *

Fleet Street was dark.

Gray and gloomy as the constant clouds over head, empty and dead as if the only residents had left years ago.

The Barber Shop was closed, the Pie Shop (which usually brought the most traffic to its area of London) was closed, and Fleet Street itself was closed.

There was no color.

No red.

No blood spraying from unsuspecting, unshaven necks.

And definitely no yellow.

No golden haired girl exploring what would be her new home.

Eleanor Lovett sat idle at her kitchen table, sighing and stroking the soft white fur of the kitten sleeping on her lap, sensing the mood of her human companions and realizing it should not be playful.

It had been almost a week since Turpin, for the second time, had stolen Joanna from right out of Nellie's Pie Shop, away from all who loved her.

Mr. Todd had been upstairs in his shop since then.

He hadn't spoken, come down or even killed since.

He just stayed up there all alone, not even pacing so Nellie could hear the familiar creaks that lulled her to sleep at night.

She had closed down the Pie Shop so the noise wouldn't bother him, and because he wasn't killing her any meat to cook.

She brought meals to his door and left them there.

She knew better than to try to come in or speak to him.

There had been other close in encounters between the Judge, the Barber and the girl they both laid claim to, but this had been the worst.

Nellie had no idea how Mr. Todd would recover from this.

She hoped he was eating…

* * *

Lucy Barker crouched behind her usual bench across the street from the Turpin Estate.

She had come to watch her angel in the window…

…but all the shutters were closed.

Where the girl used to gaze out, dreaming of freedom, were only closed curtains.

Lucy didn't understand.

She had tried so hard to reset the balance of the little world that was London back in order!

The little bird was saved from the demons and put back behind the golden gates of a Cold God's Heaven so that she would remain uncorrupted and safe.

But why did she not look out like she had done before?

Why did she hide her face away in her dark prison instead of gracing poor Lucy with her beautiful sight?

Did the thought of freedom, the glimpse of what could (but could never) be no longer please the young angel?

Or did she just no longer believe…?

Did she no longer want to look upon what she could never have…?

_What she __had had taken away from her…_

Lucy bent, covering herself behind the bench in shame.

She had done the wrong thing!

She had doomed her little angel to a life of hopelessness!

Lucy knew all to well what hopelessness did to a person; like a black hole, it replaced one's heart, instead of pumping blood to feed the body, it consumed all of one's life until one was an empty shell.

Was that to be the little bird's fate?

Would she still be able to sing?

"Wrong, wrong! I was wrong!" Lucy wept, "I have lost my bird, I have damned my angel! I cannot save her, I cannot save her!"

What had kept Lucy alive all this time, kept her wanting to be a live, was watching the yellowed haired girl from her window.

But now the girl was gone.

And once again, Lucy Barker was hopeless…

* * *

"I'm sorry, sir, but she will not come out." The maid said, looking down at the plate of food in her hands, too afraid to meet the eyes of her employer, "She will not dine at the table and she refuses to see you."

"God damn this!" Judge Turpin shouted.

He raised his hand sharply and the maid cringed, expecting to feel a blow to the face as she had displeased him by not being able to convince Joanna to leave her room.

Instead Turpin's fist missed her head hit the wall, causing a thud that echoed and shook throughout the house.

"Get out of my sight!" he commanded.

The maid bowed, leaving a plate of food at Joanna's door and then scurried down the hall away from him.

Once she was gone, Turpin turned to the door and knocked softly.

"Joanna, Joanna!_ Please_…" he tried but received no answer.

He knocked again and again, waiting for minutes until finally giving up on the door and venturing over to the painting, still swaying back and forth on the wall from his smack.

He removed it and set it on the floor so he could stare through the peephole into Joanna's room.

Despite squinting as hard as he could, the Judge was unable to see anything inside the black room.

The curtains were drawn and the lamps were off, leaving the quarters lightless.

Turpin held his breath and his ear to the papered wall.

He could hear nothing.

_Was Joanna even alive in there? _

Judge Turpin considered just barging into her room but decided that it would make her hate him even more.

So instead, Turpin reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a slightly flattened bouquet of flowers.

He had picked them up from a street vendor on his way from the Courthouse, knowing that all women had a weakness for flowers and hoping that they might soften Joanna's heart to him.

After returning the painting to its proper place in front of the peephole, the Judge walked back down the hall, stopping to place the bouquet next to the tray of dinner the maid had left for Joanna.

* * *

With nothing to do since the Pie Shop was closed, Toby had taken to wandering the streets looking for things to do.

For a while he played with some boys he had known from the workhouse but they had to go back before sundown or else they would be flogged, so Toby was again left alone.

Hungry, he decided to start the journey home.

On his way back, Toby had to pass by Judge Turpin's mansion in the nice neighborhood.

He knew that Turpin taking Anthony's girlfriend away was the reason that Anthony, Mr. Todd (and so Mrs. Lovett) were in all in a bad mood.

And the incident last week wasn't even the first time the Judge had caused trouble around Fleet Street.

Toby thought it was about time the _'Honorable'_ Judge Turpin (as well as his annoying friend The Beadle) got the bad end of some payback for all the times they had threatened to have him, his adoptive mother, Mr. Todd and Anthony hung, jailed or just plain killed.

Grabbing a rock from behind a nearby bench (and ignoring the sobbing woman hiding behind it), Toby readied his arm and all his strength.

Just as he was about to throw it, he felt grimy finger nails latch onto his wrist.

"What are you doing, boy?" the beggar woman demanded, "Throwing that rock at that house, you might hit the beautiful little birdie locked inside there!"

"It's you!" Toby exclaimed, wrenching himself free of her grasp, "You're the reason that girl is trapped in there in the first place, you are! You're the one who told that evil old man where she was! And not only that, you always spread those dirty lies around Fleet Street about my mum! Why do you hate us so much, you crazy witch!"

"Not lies, not lies!" the beggar hissed, grabbing Toby again, "Do you know what that she-devil you call your mother does? Do you know what her husband does? They kill people and serve their meat in the pies! Listen to me child; escape those demons while you still can!"

"Let me go! Leave me alone!" Toby shouted, kicking the woman away from him, back under the bench.

_It was her! _Toby realized.

_She _was the reason people spread rumors about his mother!

_She _was the reason that Turpin was able to find Joanna and take her away from Anthony!

It was all her fault!

Judge Turpin was evil and all that, he would get his…

But the beggar woman had to go!

Turning quickly and chucking the rock at The Judge's window, Toby ran away down the street.

After he heard the glass shatter, Toby decided his revenge against Turpin was finished.

Now he could move on to the larger enemy; the crazy old beggar woman.

As he dashed down the cobblestone, hoping he wouldn't get caught for breaking the window, Toby considered his next plan…

Getting that mad woman sent to Fogg's Asylum.

* * *

Through the still intact shards of glass, as well as the open air, Judge Turpin and The Beadle watched Toby flee the scene of his crime.

"You should have him arrested for that heinous act of vandalism, sir!" The Beadle declared, tapping at the pieces of glass beneath his feet on the rug, "You should have him hung!"

"I can't…" Turpin groaned, stomping his foot angrily, "Joanna made me promise not to bother of any of them. I can't do anything to that troublemaking little brat!"

"So what?" The Beadle shrugged, "How will she even know, your honor? The girl never leaves her quarters! You can have the whole lot of them hung and your ward would never find out!"

"That doesn't matter." Turpin snapped, "I gave her my word. And I never go back on my word. All I have is my honor."

"Well that is why they call you the _'Honorable'_ Judge Turpin…" The Beadle agreed, nodding, "But as for me, I never made any such promises…"

He turned, grinning evilly, to Turpin who matched his face.

"Have your fun, Beadle." The Judge allowed, gesturing at the running boy, "But remember…I knew nothing of it."

"Of what, your honor?" The Beadle feigned, bowing to the Judge, cane outstretched before heading out the door.

Once he was gone, Turpin summoned his maid to clean up the broken glass and get started on fixing the window.

* * *

After Judge Turpin had taken Joanna away, Anthony had ran out into the night, distraught and depressed.

He had been trudging around London ever since, stopping only to eat and sleep at the Pie Shop where Mrs. Lovett was kind enough to house him.

She felt sorry for him, Anthony could tell.

Mrs. Lovett never liked him much, neither did Mr. Todd or even Toby, Anthony realized now, they simply _tolerated_ him because they were too kind to turn him away.

The rest of the world was not nearly as kind.

Anthony couldn't believe how naïve he had been all this.

Before he had met Judge Turpin, he had doubted that evil even existed.

What a fool he was.

And even after he and the Judge had been acquainted and began their game of cat and mouse for the heart of the lovely Joanna, Anthony still had the idiocy to think that cruel people such as Judge Turpin and The Beadle were a rarity in the world.

That most people were inherently good, if given the chance.

But now Anthony knew the truth.

All people, young or old, male or female, rich or poor, were greedy, corrupt…evil individuals.

Anthony had seen how everyone had rushed around London trying to find Joanna, not because she was lost and in danger, but because they wanted the reward money.

The world was cold.

This city was cold.

Why else would the skies always be gray and it would rain so often that it seemed God himself was crying at the moral state of London.

But Anthony knew he wasn't.

There was no God…or if there was, he was just as callous and brutal as all the people on Earth.

He enjoyed to watch his creations suffer, pawns in a game of fate they had no control of.

Anthony knew.

Anthony knew that good would never triumph over evil.

There would be no justice, no freedom, not even happiness…

Anthony had given it his all; he had finally had Joanna right there with him!

And god she was so beautiful…

Free from Judge Turpin, Joanna and Anthony could be together forever!

But then Turpin had to come and snatch her from right out of his fingers…!

He always won.

And Anthony, he always lost…

When his family lost their home, all their money and belongings in the fire Anthony's father had told him to have _hope._

"When you have nothing else, you must always have _hope._"

"….after all hope is in your blood, son. It's your _name_."

And so when he had to become a cabin boy at fifteen to earn money for his family, Anthony had_ hope_…

Hope for the future, that things would change, that things would get better.

They never did.

In fact they got worse…

And now, now Anthony had nothing.

Sulking along the docks, Anthony looked past the tall ships into the dark green, filthy water.

He considered diving in and then never swimming back up to the surface…

For an hour, maybe more Anthony stood at the edge of the boardwalk, staring down into the churning tides.

He was gonna do it, he really was…

But before he could, Anthony felt a tap on his shoulder.

Turning around, he could see two men wearing dark blue coats with long tails and golden buttons.

Royal Navy men.

"Anthony Hope?" the one wearing a white hat asked.

"Yes…?" Anthony gulped.

"You need to come with us." The second, with the stain on his white pants, told him.

"…why?" Anthony inquired, backing away from the men.

He took a step too far backwards and found himself waving his hands frantically, trying to recapture his balance.

"He's attacking!" one of the Navy sailors exclaimed, misinterpreting Anthony's motion.

The two Navy men reached for their weapons, aiming them at the flailing Anthony.

Shocked by the sudden threat, Anthony jumped and fell backwards, landing flat on his back into the murky waves.

…_ouch…_

"He's trying to escape!" Anthony heard one of the men shout from the docks above, "Catch him!"

"Help!" Anthony cried, attempting to tread water, "Help me!"

"I thought he was a sailor, the lad…." The hatless sailor stated, confused as to why Anthony couldn't swim.

"Well don't just stand there, petty officer, get him out of there!" the first Navy man ordered, pointing towards Anthony.

"Yes sir!" his comrade agreed, setting down his rifle and then taking a dive from the pier.

Once Anthony, sopping wet, was fished out of the sea the two employees of the Royal Navy addressed him.

"We received a complaint of you jumping ship, breaking a commitment you made to Captain Sanders." The petty officer declared, "He is a good friend of our Warrant Officer, a former Navy member himself."

"I'm sorry." Anthony apologized, "But I couldn't go with them. You see there was this girl, I had to save her…!"

He paused, remembering the events involving Joanna.

"I see, lad." The man with the hat replied, "Well did you succeed in your endeavor?"

"…No." Anthony answered, looking at his soaking shoes, watching the droplets from his shirt smack against their leather.

"Well I'll say you've learned your lesson, you did." The man said knowingly, "You can't just be running all over the place because of some girl. There are millions of girls in this world, and not one of them is worth any trouble as long as there are anymore."

"Joanna was…" Anthony muttered.

"Now I was supposed to give you a citation and a couple nights in the brig, boy." The hated man continued, "But because your young, I'm going to let you off with a warning. You hear me, lad?"

"Yes sir." Anthony nodded.

"You made a commitment to Captain Sanders when you signed on as one of his crew." He reminded, "And you broke your word when you jumped ship. I'm warning you to never do that again. Never break a promise, boy, because honor is all a man has in this world, do you understand?"

"Yes, sir, I do." Anthony responded quietly.

All he could think about was how he broke his promise to Joanna…

Without even his honor, Anthony really did have nothing.

"That's a good lad." The man smiled, "But this warning comes with a catch."

"What's the catch, sir?" Anthony inquired, looking up to face the man for the first time.

"Tell him, petty officer." The man with the hat commanded to his operative.

"You must enlist in the Queen's Royal Navy." He informed.

"That's just fine with me." Anthony agreed immediately, "Where do I sign up and when do we ship out?"

"How much time do you need to prepare?" the man asked.

"None. I can go right now." Anthony answered, "There's nothing left for me here anyway..."

* * *

After she was sure she could no longer hear her guardian's heavy breathing and footsteps Joanna crept to her door through the dark and silently opened it just slightly.

Peering out and adjusting to the light of the hallway, Joanna could see a plate of food.

It was cold and when Joanna reached out to take it, her hands felt wrapping paper and she pulled the object towards her.

In the tiny bit of light let in through the door, Joanna realized what she was holding.

Wilted white roses, dead no more than a few hours, shriveled and gray.

* * *

**Things get more interesting again next chapter, please review so I can post it! **


	21. A Much Needed Vacation

**Thanks for all the reviews, I hope you like this chapter. The new story arc begins...**

* * *

London.

Sweeney had seen it from his Barber Shop window countless times.

If he closed his eyes he could picture it in his mind.

Gray, monotonous, looming over him as if it was closing in around him…

Turning away from the glass, slightly foggy from the morning's rain, Sweeney could look at it no longer.

He had been holed up in his room for a week after his daughter had been stolen from him for the second time by the same man.

He had slept, he had sulked…he had even _sobbed_ a bit.

To have what he wanted and then have it ripped away from him was the worst feeling.

To have what he wanted, then have it ripped away, then get it back only to have it ripped away once more was even worse of a feeling.

Sweeney couldn't believe that he had let this happen to him again.

What was stopping him from just marching right over to Turpin's mansion and killing The Judge in his own home?

What was stopping him from getting his revenge the direct and much easier way, rather than waiting endlessly for the 'perfect' moment like Mrs. Lovett had told him to?

…_it was Joanna. _

Sweeney knew that if he ever wanted to have any kind of relationship with her after Judge Turpin was dead, she could never know what kind of a murderous demon he was.

And so Sweeney had to find some way to kill The Judge (and hopefully The Beadle) without anyone ever knowing it was him so he could remain the image of an upstanding member of society, a fit father for Joanna.

But was Sweeney even a fit father at all?

He was a killer, whether anyone knew it or not.

And if even if Joanna never found out all the things he had done, that wouldn't change the person he truly was.

Sweeney wondered if he could justify brining his sweet, innocent daughter into his world of murder and lies…

(The alternative, of course, was Anthony, if they ever managed to free Joanna from Turpin again and Sweeney didn't think he would be the best choice of a companion for his daughter either.)

Sweeney needed a plan.

A plan to rescue his daughter again…

A plan to kill Turpin and the Beadle and have his revenge without anyone ever finding out about it…

A plan for the rest of his and Joanna's life after he completed the former…

But Sweeney couldn't think here!

He couldn't even tolerate for one more moment being in the dismal city that had caused him nothing but pain.

And so Sweeney stepped around his black barber chair away from the window towards the door.

He exited the Barber Shop, hurrying down the stairs and walking into the Pie Shop.

Mrs. Lovett immediately looked up in astonishment as soon as Sweeney entered the room (as he knew she would), rushing over to him.

"Mr. Todd! You've come down!" she exclaimed, "How are you feeling, love, are you alright?"

"I'm feeling well enough considering the situation…" he muttered, following into the room as she led him towards the kitchen table and sat him down on the wooden bench against the wall.

"Have you been eating, Mr. Todd, you look right skinny, you do…" She continued to chatter, as if afraid to create a silence that would remind him of a certain absent daughter, "Can I get you anything, dear? Tell me what you need."

"I need a vacation." Sweeney stated.

* * *

Now dressed in the thin, standard blue and white British Royal Navy uniform, Anthony was helping his fellow sailors adjust the sails of the ship he had been stationed on.

It was out to sea and had been for the past few hours.

Their heading was an Australian prison port where they would pick up and escort freed men back to England.

It wasn't the most ideal location to sail towards, but Anthony didn't complain.

He enjoyed his work on the ship; it kept his hands busy and his mind clear.

Anthony was just grateful to get away from London.

He didn't think he could stand to stay in that city much longer; it was high time he got a change in scenery.

Once the sails were secure, Anthony rushed off to his next task. He wouldn't let himself be idle.

He wouldn't let his mind stray to thoughts of Joanna…

* * *

The halls were long, darkened and narrow. The walls were made of hard gray stone.

The door Toby stood next to was dark and tall, towering over him in the most ominous manner so that he almost regretted coming here.

Every so often Toby would hear a shriek that would startle him as he waited and so by the time the door opened for him he was shivering.

A man exited the room and turned to Toby.

"He said you can go on in now." He told Toby and then hurried down the hall to get out of the building as fast as he could.

Toby entered the room.

"Tobias Ragg?" an old, skinny bald man addressed him from behind a desk.

His face was in shadow as the office, like the rest of the establishment, was not lit.

"That's me, sir." Toby affirmed.

"You're just a little kid." The man dismissed, "I'm a very busy man, I don't have time to waste on children. What do you want?"

"Mr. Fogg, sir…" Toby began, approaching the desk, "I've come to tell you about this crazy old lady that's been stirring up trouble around Fleet Street. I want you to have her locked away."

"A beggar? Dressed in rags?" Fogg inquired, "Screeching about the Devil and other nonsense like that?"

"Yes, sir, that's the one!" Toby confirmed, "Can you take her away? She's been bothering my mum bad for a long time now."

"I've had other complaints of that beggar woman, boy." Fogg informed, "I've sent men after her, but they've never been able to catch her. She's a quick one, she is."

"Well I can help catch her." Toby stated.

"What can a little kid like you do to help?" Fogg asked skeptically, leaning towards Toby.

"I know where she lives." Toby declared, "I can take you right to her. I'm fast too. I can even grab her quick and hold her down while your men take her."

"And I suppose you'd want to be paid for this, boy…" Fogg guessed.

"Well, her being gone would be payment enough for me, sir…" Toby shrugged, "My mum and I could really use the money."

"I'm sure you could…" Fogg said, rolling his eyes.

"So will you do it?" Toby asked hopefully.

"Alright, kid, I'll see what I can do." Fogg agreed, "But I won't be paying you."

"That's fine with me." Toby conceded, "Just get rid of her!"

* * *

Nellie left the eggs and bacon on the pan to sizzle so she could journey back over to her kitchen table where Mr. Todd sat.

He was drinking the last of gin she had meant to save for Toby, but because Mr. Todd venturing downstairs to see Nellie was such a rare and joyous occasion, Toby would just have to deal without his daily dose of hard liquor.

"So where do you think you'd like to go off to on this vacation?" Nellie asked, sitting down across from Mr. Todd so that they could begin a very important discussion.

"I haven't a set location in mind." Mr. Todd replied, sipping his drink, "I've just got to leave this damn city…"

"For how long then, dear?" Nellie inquired.

"I don't know." He shrugged.

"So you don't know where you want to go, or for how long, but you want to go vacation." She stated, chuckling, "Oh Mr. T you really are a hopeless man, you are…!"

"You have no idea…" Mr. Todd muttered softly enough that Nellie couldn't hear him.

"What was that, love?" she said to which he shook his head and responded 'nothing', "Well nevermind then, because I'm thinking we ought to go down to the seaside…"

"I don't know about that…" Mr. Todd disagreed, "The mountains are better a better choice."

"Oh now you've got an idea of where you want to go!" Nellie exclaimed, "But why in the world would you want to go to the mountains?"

"Because it's quiet there. And secluded." Mr. Todd explained, "Everyone minds their own business there and leaves each other alone."

"Well that sounds quite lonely…" Nellie assessed, "The seaside is much more cheerful. It's got beaches and the sunsets are lovely there, or so I've heard…wouldn't you rather go somewhere lively and happy, Mr. Todd?"

"No." he stated.

"But why, love?" Nellie chirped, "It would be fun! Down by the sea you can see the sky, feel the sun warm on your face. I've seen the pictures in the magazines, Mr. T, it's so beautiful there…so much color. God knows that's just exactly what you need in your life right now, some sun, some color some cheer!"

"No." Mr. Todd disagreed, "What I need is quiet place to think."

"The seaside can be quiet." Nellie attempted, "All you can hear is the waves rolling in and out and the seagulls calling in the sky, it would be nice and calming, it would."

She closed her eyes imagining herself to be sitting on the beach, watching the sparkling tides with her very own Sweeney Todd.

The fact that he wanted to take a vacation and actually wanted her to come along made Nellie extremely hopeful.

Perhaps on this vacation to the seaside or the mountains or wherever they went off to, Mr. Todd would discover his love for her...

"I don't want nice, I don't want calming." Mr. Todd insisted, "I need this vacation so we can develop a plan."

"A plan?" Nellie repeated, raising an eyebrow, "What do you mean 'a plan'?"

"You know _exactly_ what I mean, Mrs. Lovett." Mr. Todd stated sharply, "I've wasted too much time already, I should have taken out Turpin and gotten my daughter back months ago! It's time to finish this. We're going on this vacation and you and I are going to figure what we are going to do."

"I told you what you should do!" Nellie reminded, "Wait! Wait until the right moment and-"

"No more waiting!" Mr. Todd interrupted, dramatically standing up from his seat and pounding the table so his glass of gin shook, "I've waited long enough as it is! I want my revenge_ now_! And so_ you_ are going to help me make a plan, one that actually works, no more of this 'right time' nonsense! Do you understand?"

"Well of course I understand, Mr. T, you don't need to get so angry!" Nellie replied, throwing her hands up in mock offense, "But if you want my help…we're going to the sea."

* * *

Lucy had slept all that night under her park bench, across from the mansion.

When she awoke in the afternoon she looked up and across the street, second nature, as if she was expecting to see something.

All Lucy saw were curtains, closed behind windows.

She knew this wasn't right.

Something was supposed to_ be_ there…

_Someone…_

But Lucy couldn't remember whatever it was she had wanted to see behind the glass of the dark windows.

Using the bench to lift herself from the ground, Lucy got up and prepared herself for a day of begging.

She had forgotten the last time she had a meal.

It was a very long time ago…Lucy thought it might have been a few glasses of champagne and whatever ordures were served at that lovely party…

_Whose party was that again? _

Lucy didn't recall.

All she knew is that it had happened at the large estate across the street which maybe was the reason she was asleep right outside of it.

Had she gotten to drunk and been thrown out?

That wasn't like her…

Lucy wasn't even much of a drinker, or a party-goer come to think of it…

She barely even left her small apartment above that Pie Shop.

_So why was she at that party? _

_What had happened that night? _

And then suddenly it all came rushing back to Lucy, hitting her memory so hard that she staggered backwards into the bench where she had to sit down.

_The right hand had led her into the party…_

…_there were no faces, only masks…_

…_Demons!_

_She drank the nectar of the Gods, glass after glass, she knew not what it was…_

…_and then she had been grabbed and thrown down…_

_God had donned his Devil's mask and taken her in his arms. _

_That night he had stolen her soul._

Lucy ran.

She had to escape the grounds of the Black God's fortress before she was once again captured.

"There she is!"

Lucy heard the deceptive voice of a changeling call; high like a child's, but words monstrous as any grown demon.

Before she could flee, Lucy was tackled to the cobblestone by Toby and then surrounded by three men.

"I've got her, I've got her!" Toby shouted, wrestling with Lucy, "Get her, I've got her down!"

Lucy kicked and clawed but there was a strange strength about the boy that kept her at his mercy.

He must have been the son of the Devil himself!

"Seize her!" Fogg commanded and his two employees obeyed, pulling Lucy up from Toby's grasp into their tight fists, "Let's go!"

"Where are you taking me? Let me go!" Lucy begged as the two asylum guards dragged her away, "Where are you taking me?"

"They're taking you where you belong!" Toby jeered, jogging to keep up with the pace of Fogg and his men, "They're locking you away for all that you've done!"

"To Hell, to Hell! You're taking me to Hell!" Lucy cried, struggling to break free, "You demons!"

This had happened to her before, just a few weeks before she had been forced into a jail.

"You're the demon, you lying witch!" Toby yelled.

"That's enough, boy!" Fogg snapped, "Go home now, you're job is done here!"

Toby took one last look at the beggar woman who had caused Fleet Street so many problems, stuck out his tongue at her and then ran away.

"Let go of me!" Lucy screeched, "You must not take me to Hell! Please! Not again!"

"Now you need to calm down, it'll be alright…" Fogg comforted in a sickeningly soothing voice, "Don't you worry, my child, we're not taking you to Hell. I'm just sending you on a much needed vacation…"

* * *

When Toby got back to Fleet Street he could see Mr. Todd going up and down the stairs to the Barber Shop, carrying different items down into the Pie Shop.

Once Toby got inside in the shop, he saw Mrs. Lovett dragging a giant suitcase with clanging metal fasteners into the kitchen.

In the doorway, Mr. Todd pushed Toby out of his way and walked into the room.

He bent down and placed a folded black cloth into the open container.

"What are you packing all your razors for, dear?" Mrs. Lovett asked, picking the cloth out of the case and shoving it back into Mr. Todd's hands, "You're not going to need them!"

"I'm not leaving them alone again." Mr. Todd insisted, gently putting them back inside, "They're coming with me."

"They're just razors, love, they ain't your children!" Mrs. Lovett laughed.

"I'm going to get the rest of my stuff." Mr. Todd stated, ignoring Mrs. Lovett's comment and heading back out the door he had come in, pushing Toby out of the way once again.

Just as Mrs. Lovett was about to leave the kitchen, Toby spoke up, confused.

"What's going on here, mum?" he asked, "Is Mr. Todd leaving?"

Toby really hoped he was.

"Oh no, dearie!" Mrs. Lovett answered, dashing Toby's dreams, "He's just packing for the vacation."

"Oh." Toby replied, "How long is he gone for?"

"We haven't decided yet." Mrs. Lovett explained, "A couple weeks, I suppose…We'll get there and see how we like it and make up ours minds then."

"We?" Toby repeated.

"Yes, _'we'_, of course '_we'_!" Mrs. Lovett affirmed as if it was to be expected, "Why would Mr. T go off on a vacation and not bring us along? We're all going to the seaside together, love, isn't that great!"

Toby gulped.

Spending an indefinite amount of time in some cramped room in some rundown beach inn with Mr. Todd wasn't Toby's idea of 'great'.

It might have been Mrs. Lovett's but it was definitely not his.

"Aww, mum, do I have to go?" Toby complained.

"Now Toby dear why wouldn't you want to go?" Mrs. Lovett inquired, looking at Toby as if he was crazy, "I already packed your things! Come on, love, it'll be fun!"

"Yeah…I guess…" Toby agreed half-heartedly, not wanting to go in the least but also not wanting to disappoint his adoptive mother.

"Sure it will, love!" Mrs. Lovett assured, squeezing Toby in a hug, "You're going to love the sea, I'm sure of it. We all will. It's going to be wonderful, you'll see…"

* * *

**There you have it, everyone's going off on a vacation (some will be better than others...or maybe they'll all just end up terrible). Please review! **


	22. Bumps In The Road

**As you all know, things never go smoothly for our Fleet Street residents...so of course they run into more trouble. Read and find out just what kind of trouble were talking about this time! **

* * *

"There you go, in with the blondes!" The asylum guard shouted, shoving Lucy into the room.

It was stone, black and foreboding, wet and dirty.

Full of women.

Packed tightly in between the four walls like farm animals.

The heavy door was slammed shut behind Lucy and she scrambled to pick herself up, tripping over the hands and feet and faces of the other blondes in the room.

They reached towards her, hollow and tired eyes boring into her own.

The mirror had shattered.

Lucy stared at a hundred jagged reflections.

She shut her eyelids and flailed blindly through the asylum ward.

Falling forward, Lucy's eyes shot open when she felt herself caught by the woman in front of her.

"Welcome to Hell." The woman greeted in a shallow whisper, "I hope you enjoy your stay…"

Birds with their wings clipped, the other prisoners of the asylum advanced upon Lucy like starving fledglings begging with their mouths open for the _fresh meat_.

Pulling her knees to her chin, Lucy imploded into herself, becoming as small as she could.

"Don't eat me…don't eat me…don't eat me…" she muttered, rocking back and forth.

She knew who these people locked in here with her were.

They were pigeons, no different from the ones congregating around Fleet Street to be fed their own brethren by the Devil's wife…

….except for the fact that they knew _exactly_ what they were eating.

* * *

The train ride to the seaside was excruciating.

Four and a half hours long sitting in un-cushioned seats inside crowded cars, years before the invention of the air conditioner, and it was getting on to be summer soon.

Mrs. Lovett had sacrificed her window seat to Toby who was gazing out the window, tinted brown, at the miles and miles of farm fields that separated London from the beach she had chosen for the vacation.

She sat across from Sweeney who had one leg resting on the other, one elbow resting on that top leg and his head resting in the palm of the hand attached to the arm with the elbow in use. (Whew! That was a difficult description…)

However, he kept shifting as his position became uncomfortable, getting a little bit angrier each time.

Sweeney was attempting to sleep, hoping to pass the long train ride in slumber rather than in boring and trivial conversation with Mrs. Lovett.

But the ride was bumpy and with every jolt Sweeney found himself more and more awake.

Finally he stood up and stretched.

"Where're you going, love?" Mrs. Lovett inquired, looking up from her newspaper to see Sweeney edging sideways out of the space between his seat and hers.

"I'm taking a walk." He answered.

"Alright." Mrs. Lovett shrugged, returning to her reading.

The isles between the rows of seats were thin and Sweeney had to push past several people to get to the door of the train-car.

He pulled it open and continued on into the next car, finding a similar situation as the car he had come from.

After forcing his way through a few more cars, Sweeney opened the sliding door to find, instead of a small hallway connecting the cars together, just a metal fastener and the open air.

Glancing down, Sweeney could see the train tracks rushing below him and feel the wind blowing in from the open door.

Cautiously he stepped out on to it, pausing the keep his balance, and then grabbing on to the next door and then forcing it open.

Falling into the next train-car and hearing the door smack closed behind him, Sweeney found himself in darkness lying on the floor.

As he stumbled to his feet and tripped over various objects, Sweeney's quickly adjusted to the darkness and he could make out the silhouettes of suitcases and trunks.

He was in the luggage car.

Deciding that this was not where he wanted to take his walk, Sweeney rushed back to the door he had fallen through only to realize it was locked.

"Damn this!" Sweeney cursed, struggling with the handle.

Sweeney couldn't believe this!

He was locked in the luggage car!

_Some vacation…_

"Let me out of here!" Sweeney shouted, banging his fists on the door, "Get me out of here!"

He would have called for help, but Sweeney Todd did not ask for _help._

Sweeney Todd didn't need _help._

All he needed was just for someone to come a long and open the door for him.

Either way, after shouting and banging for a few minutes, Sweeney realized that no one would hear him.

He was all alone…

…or was he…

"mew…mew…mew…"

Sweeney whipped around when he heard the distinctly annoying meow of a familiar cat.

Looking around for the source of noise, Sweeney opened suitcase after suitcase until he found it.

Ruby's red eyes glowed in the dark as she jumped from the linens of an unhitched trunk into Sweeney's hands.

Sweeney promptly dropped the kitten back down to the floor where she proceeded to rub against his legs and purr.

"Don't go thanking me now…" he warned her, "I only let you out of there so you would shut up! I should have left you to die for stowing away!"

Ruby continued to brush up against Sweeney, meowing more in gratitude.

"Keep off me, you stupid cat," he groaned, shaking the kitten off of his leg, "I'm getting out of here."

Stepping over the opened suitcases, Sweeney climbed on to the rack they had once rested on, lifting himself to the top and then pressing on the sunroof of the baggage car.

Sweeney took a deep breath.

_Was he really going to do this? _

Of course he was, he had no choice!

He had to get out of this train car.

The sunroof popped open and the air rushed into the car. Clasping onto both sides of the square hole, Sweeney pulled himself up into the world outside.

* * *

Anthony was seasick.

Usually, he wouldn't have problems like this but because he had stayed on shore for longer than he had originally planned when he had first docked in London, Anthony had lost his sea-legs, to some degree.

And so when the ship rocked more swiftly and unsteadily, so did Anthony's stomach.

Therefore, that is why Anthony was leaning over the rough railing of the ship, feeling the splinters dig into this fingers as he vomited.

And when he looked up for a brief moment, from watching the contents of his stomach dissolve into the waves below, Anthony saw another ship in the distance, sailing towards them.

"A ship!" Anthony alerted, pointing at the quickly oncoming vessel, "A ship off the starboard side!"

The available crew members rushed over to where Anthony stood, pushing themselves up against the wooden side in a line so they could all have a clear view.

One Navy man pulled out a telescope and peered through it.

"Get the captain!" he shouted, "And tell the pilot to steer the ship as far away from that other one as he can. It means to collide with us!"

Anthony sprinted from the railing to the Captain's cabin, telling the Chief Royal Navy Officer who had enlisted him what was going on.

He then dashed to the front of the ship and told the pilot to turn it the other direction.

"You don't give _me_ orders, cabin boy!" the pilot yelled, continuing his prior course.

"I'm not a cabin boy!" Anthony responded, "I'm a petty officer in the Navy! I was recruited a few days ago!"

"Same thing." The pilot dismissed, not looking away from the steering wheel.

"Chance course!"

Anthony and the pilot heard the captain order in his Scottish accent from down on the main deck.

"I told you!" Anthony stated triumphantly, "Who's cabin boy now!"

"I take orders from the captain, not you." The pilot muttered, rolling his eyes and turning the wheel drastically.

The ship lurched, sending Anthony tumbling to the scratchy wood of the deck.

"Get up, lad!" The captain commanded, from behind Anthony, "We're going to need all hands on deck! Be ready for anything!"

"Yes sir!" Anthony said, jumping up and hurrying to the captain's side, "But may I ask what's going on, sir?"

"Lad, you are about to experience your first pirate attack." He chuckled, patting Anthony on the shoulder, "This should be fun…"

* * *

"Look, mum, cows!" Toby exclaimed, pointing out the train window to a farm in the distance where there were indeed a herd of black little cow-shaped dots.

"That's nice, dear." Nellie acknowledged, still reading the newspaper.

"I've never seen cows before!" Toby continued excitedly, "Only animals in the city are the birds, dogs and cats."

Nellie looked up from her newspaper.

"Cats…" she repeated and then remembered, "….Ruby! Oh my lord, Ruby! I left her back at the shop all alone! Who's going to feed her!"

"Oh don't worry about that, mum." Toby chided, "I packed Ruby along."

"You did _what?"_ Nellie gasped, setting down her paper on Mr. Todd's empty seat and turning to Toby.

"I packed her up the suitcase with the rest of the things." Toby elaborated, "There was enough room for her and she'll be nice and comfortable with all your clothes in there for her to sit on."

"Toby, love, what the _hell_ were you thinking?" Nellie snapped, "You can't just put a living thing a suitcase like that! It's run out of air! Oh that poor little kitten…oh my poor clothing…"

She hoped to god that Ruby hadn't had a need to relieve herself before she suffocated to death.

"I didn't know!" Toby cried, suddenly scared for the cat and feeling incredibly guilty, "We got to get her out of there!"

He jumped up from his seat and ran off down the tiny train-car isle, Nellie rushing after him.

"Toby! Toby, get back here!" she called after him, reaching out for his arm so she could pull him back to her, "You can't just go running off like that, love!"

"But mum, what about Ruby!" Toby asked, eyes watering, "We can't just leave her in there…"

"I know, dear, I know." Nellie agreed, "But we have to go about this the right way. We have to find the conductor or another employee and ask for permission to go back to the baggage car and get the little thing outta there."

"…alright…" Toby nodded, "It better not take too long…"

After apologizing to the people around them that had been pushed or shoved by Toby in his haste, Nellie brought Toby up to an official looking man in a uniform, standing by the door of the car.

"Excuse me, sir?" Nellie began.

"Yes, ma'am? What is it that you need?" he inquired in a pompous accent that put Nellie off.

"We need to go to the baggage car." She stated, "Which way is it?"

"Uh…" Uniform shrugged, glancing around the car, unsure of what to tell her, "…I'm not quite sure about that, ma'am…"

"What do you mean 'you're not quite sure about that'?" Nellie demanded, "What kind an answer is that, then? You do work here, don't you!"

"Yes I do!" the uniformed man affirmed, patting his official vest, "…But I just started a few days ago…"

"That's not an excuse!" Nellie shrilled, "We need to get to our luggage right now! It's an emergency!"

"Mum!" Toby whined, tugging on her skirts "Ruby….!"

"I know, I know, dear!" Nellie hushed him, "Let me speak to the man."

"Ma'am, please take your seat." The vested man ordered, "Now."

"I need to get to the baggage car!" Nellie insisted, pushing past him and sliding open the door.

"You can't go there!" the man yelled, grabbing her.

"And why can't I?" she asked angrily, "I bought my ticket. I'll go where I please. You can't tell me what I can or cannot do! I don't believe you even work for this train!"

Attempting to continue through the door, Nellie was again forced to stay in the car by the man in uniform.

"Take your hands off her!" Toby shouted, kicking the man hard in the shin, "Don't touch my mum!"

"Shut up, you stupid kid!" he growled down at Toby before turning back to Nellie, "Get back to your seat now! And take your brat with you!"

"No!" Nellie responded, hands on hips, "We're going through that door and you're not going to stop me. Matter of fact, why can't we go in there in the first place? Is there something you don't want us to see!"

"N-no!" Uniform said, shifting his eyes back and forth, "Why would you say that?"

"There is, isn't there!" Nellie declared, sliding the door once again, "What is it you've got hiding in the next car there? Tell me!"

"Nothing, nothing, there is nothing!" he repeated, his posh accent fading into a lower class one.

Toby and Nellie met eyes and raised eye brows, confused and suspicious.

The official looking man in uniform looked at two, realizing his slip of the tongue.

The three continued glancing at each other, all unsure of how to proceed.

"You're a fake, you are!" Toby finally accused.

Before the man could reply, the sliding door burst open and a man in a black suit and sunglasses jumped into the car.

"You'll have to excuse my…_associate_." He told Nellie and Toby, "He's a terrible actor and an even worse liar. In fact, I don't even know why I allow him to come along with me on these little_ excursions_…"

"I'm sorry!" the uniformed man apologized to the suited man.

"Shut up." He grunted under his breath, "Remember the plan…!"

"Oh-oh, right!" Uniform recalled, shoving a hand into his vest pocket and fumbling with the contents.

Suit shook his head and slapped his forehead.

Then he pulled out a gun and aimed it at the ceiling, letting off a few warning rounds.

Everyone in the train-car instantly hushed and turned to the source of the noise, before erupting in a roar of fear and panic.

"Nobody move!" he commanded, waving the gun, "This is a robbery!"

After a few stray shrieks, the passengers halted all movement, shivering and crouching between the seats.

"Yeah, this is a robbery!" Uniform added, "Everyone get down on the ground and put your hands up!"

He then finally managed to remove his gun from his vest and shot off more bullets into the ceiling, stumbling backwards at the recoil.

The uproar of fright and chaos started up again, the people unsure of what to do.

"I already told them not to move!" Suit growled at his partner, "So _why_ would you tell them to put their hands up and get down!"

"I was just trying to help!" Uniform shrugged, "Sorry!"

Groaning, Suit pushed Uniform down into one of the seats vacated by someone now cowering on the floor.

"I need everyone to put their valuables in the bag!" Suit shouted, then turning to Uniform with an outstretched hand, "Give me the bag."

"I don't have it." He said.

"You don't have it?" Suit repeated, voice getting angrier with each word, "You don't have it! How can you not have the bag! You know we need the bag!"

"I thought you had it!" Uniform explained.

"You're useless, bloody useless!" Suit complained and then addressed the passengers of the train, "Alright, everyone, sorry for the delay! I'll be with you all in a few moments. But first my associate will go to the baggage car and bring me back a bag!"

"But I don't know where baggage car is…" Uniform whispered.

"Then find it!" Suit order, grabbing Uniform up from the seat and shoving him through the sliding door, "Go! Now! And don't come back with out a bag!"

"Alright, alright already…" Uniform agreed, hurrying out the door into the next car.

Suit slammed the door behind his partner and then sat down in the seat he had just removed him from, holding his forehead in the palm of his hand.

Nellie and Toby, whom had been quiet during the so far botched robbery, examined the car and saw that everyone in side it, save for the robber and themselves, was still huddling on the floor.

"So…" Nellie began, taking a seat next to Suit and pulling Toby up onto her lap, "This seems to be going well for you."

"Get on the floor or I'll shoot you." He threatened, not looking up at her.

"Oh there'll be no need for that." Nellie laughed, "I'm just trying to have a conversation here. I ain't bothering you, am I?"

"Actually…" Suit hissed but was interrupted.

"Of course I'm not! That would be right silly, now wouldn't it?" Nellie continued, "And you know what else is silly? Robbing a train is. I mean, what is this? America? Nobody robs trains in England! It just isn't done!"

She was only stalling.

Mr. Todd had been on his walk along time and should be back at any moment.

He would dispose of these robbers efficiently.

How hard would it be?

Nellie decided she and Toby could probably even do it themselves.

The robbers, especially the one in uniform, obviously didn't have their act together and couldn't rob a train to save their lives.

Nellie imagined this was what it would be like if Mr. Todd and Anthony tried to commit a crime together.

A disaster.

It would be easy enough to take care of them.

She and Toby would do fine…

* * *

When The Beadle reached Fleet Street, he found the Pie Shop locked up and empty.

He sent his buff, new goons upstairs in the Barber Shop and they found the same thing.

The Beadle had come there to have Toby arrested for breaking Judge Turpin's window and Mr. Todd, Mrs. Lovett and Anthony taken into custody for good measure.

Of course, the group would never make it to the police station, they would tragically have an accident and all die in an alley way mugging where nothing stolen.

And the Honorable Judge Turpin would never be involved.

But now the inhabitants of the Barber and Pie Shops were coincidently gone on the day The Beadle had meant to have them all killed.

…_how could they have possibly known…? _

"How suspicious…" he said allowed, looking over to each of the goons in turn, "It seems we have a leak…"

* * *

**Things have gotten complicated again...lol Please review! **


	23. Train Robbers And Pirates

**Well it seems I missed the guarantee by about ten minutes. Now I feel bad. My summer class has been wasting my time... **

* * *

Shouts and bullets everywhere.

The shattering sound of cannon-

Much louder that Anthony had ever imagined

- exploded in the air with a defining boom that sent all the Navy men aboard the ship ducking for cover from the flying debris.

Anthony, crouching behind the mast, saw an opening to run below deck and took it, darting back and forth to dodge the flying pieces of wood.

Inside the ship, he saw sailors readying their cannons and then igniting the fuses.

One cannon shot and rolled back from the recoil, slamming into Anthony who was watching in fear and fascination.

Everything went black.

* * *

After about ten minutes of searching (and almost falling out of the train), Uniform finally found the luggage car.

It was pitch dark, but Uniform's eyes adjusted and he could make out the figures of suitcases and trunks.

Opened and rummaged through on the floor.

"…what the Queen…?" Uniform said, confused at the mess, "What kind of train are they running here? Even_ I_ wouldn't be that untidy! How unprofessional! This is just terrible, simply-"

Before Uniform could finish his sentence, his nose erupted into sneezing.

"Cats!" he knew instantly, "It can only be cats! That's the only thing I'm allergic to! I have to get out of this car!"

Uniform rushed to the door he had come through, but found it locked.

"No!" he exclaimed, pounding on the door, "I can't be locked in here! There's cats in here! I'll have an asthma attack! I'll die! This is unacceptable! My boss will be furious…!"

Uniform sneezed again.

His screaming stopped when he heard a noise that sent shivers up his spine.

"Mew…mew…mew…"

Through the darkness, Uniform could see a small kitten trotting towards him.

It was evil.

Uniform could tell from it's glowing red eyes.

"No!" he cried, pulling out his gun and aiming at Ruby, "Get back, you beast! Get back or I'll shoot!"

He pulled the trigger and bullet went ricocheting around the metal walls of the baggage car before finally lodging in the door behind Uniform.

Uniform gasped, recognizing his close call but then sighed, relieved that his own bullet had missed him.

His relief, however, was short lived as Uniform realized that the kitten was still heading in his direction.

"Get away from me!" he yelped, edging backwards, away from Ruby, "Stay away!"

Backing up too far, Uniform hit the door which went flying off away from the train due to the bullet dislodging it from its sliders.

Again, almost falling out of the train, Uniform struggled to keep himself inside the train while keeping himself away from the cat growing closer.

Clothing and other light-weight items began to get sucked past Uniform, out of the train-car by the wind.

A few stray shirts missed the openings between Uniform's outstretched arms and legs in the space where the door used to be and instead smacked head on into him.

Before Uniform could figure out what to do at this point, he saw another item soaring towards him.

The kitten.

"Mewwwwwwwwww!" Ruby screeched as the air pulled her up from the leather trunk she was clinging onto with her tiny claws.

The wind then tossed her sharply into the face of Uniform where she immediately latched on her nails as not to be dragged out of the train.

Uniform let out a long shriek of pain, interrupted only by periodic sneezes that only made Ruby dig her claws in deeper due to her disgust at his snot soiling her fur and her general distaste of being wet.

"All I needed was a bag…" Uniform sobbed in between shrieks and sneezes, "….jus a bag…only a bag…"

* * *

Sweeney took one slow, circumspect step after another across the top of the train car.

He had been walking against the wind that was relentlessly trying to push him back and throw him off the train for almost twenty minutes now and yet was still on the car he had climbed up from.

In front of Sweeney was the wide gap between the roof of the baggage car and the roof of the train car ahead.

With the wind against him, Sweeney knew he had little chance of making the leap but knew he had to try anyway.

What else could he do?

He jumped.

Sweeney had made it across to the next car but then felt the air carrying him backwards.

Quickly, he pulled his razors from his pockets and dug them into the metal of the train roof.

The blade screeched through the steel, leaving long jagged lines in their wake until finally Sweeney was able to slow down and stand up on the next car.

Walking forwards, he looked for another sunroof to go through, one that would take him into a passenger car so then he could return to the one he had come from.

There was no such opening.

Sweeney continued on to the next car, battling the wind the entire way, and made his leap with razors once again.

When he was on the third train-car up from the luggage car, Sweeney felt something slap into his back.

Yanking it off of him, he discovered a dress.

A very familiar looking dress.

Mrs. Lovett's dress.

Her favorite maroon dress that she wore constantly and he was tired of seeing.

Sweeney let the garment slip from his fingers and fly away into the farm fields that surrounded the train tracks.

Keeping on his trek for a train-car with a sunroof, Sweeney watched dozens of clothing items dance through the wind around him as he walked.

Knowing that somehow, something had happened in the baggage car that sent everyone's personal items soaring, Sweeney turned his head around to see that indeed the door to the luggage car was missing.

There was also a uniformed man stuck in the door way, seemingly unable to move.

Sweeney shrugged at the man's predicament, deciding that an employee of the train ought to have a better handle on things.

He was also glad his extra razors were heavy, too heavy to be swept out of the trunk he had packed them in.

Thankful for his friends once again, Sweeney jumped to the next car, again latching onto the roof with his razors.

And there it was ahead.

The sunroof.

* * *

When Anthony came too he was in the dark.

The ground underneath him was wet, soaking into his pants and he felt his hands and legs bound by ropes.

"Wh-what's going on here?" he asked in a frightened shout, scanning the black room for answer and seeing nothing.

After minutes that felt like hours of darkness and silence, a growing crack of light poured into the room and in came a group of men.

The slammed the door behind them and their faces were enshrouded by shadows.

"Who are you, where am I?" Anthony demanded, shivering, "What is going on!"

"Welcome to the Queen Victoria's Secret, lad!" one mad greeted ominously.

"The what?" Anthony choked, "Where?"

"Well he's a slow one, then." Another man commented.

The group chuckled.

"Boy doesn't know his enemies." A third added, snickering, "Haven't been studying up on your pirate ships, have you, cabin boy?"

"What do you mean _'pirate ships'_…?" Anthony inquired, fearing the answer.

"You've been captured, lad." The first man declared, "I am Captain Mack Swallow, and this is my ship! You're my prisoner!"

"Nooooooooo!" Anthony cried.

* * *

"Where is he with that damn bag?" Suit demanded, shooting into the ceiling again out of his increasing annoyance.

He was pacing quickly around the train car, scared passengers inching away from him whenever he passed.

"Don't worry; I'm sure he'll be back any minute." Nellie comforted, falsely of course, from her seat.

"What if he isn't! What if he's been apprehended?" Suit shouted, "If I don't see him in one minute, I'll start shooting hostages!"

He shook his gun, causing everyone in the car to jerk and jump up.

"Get down!" he commanded and discharged more bullets into the brown tinted windows inches above the passengers heads.

"Now, now, there's no need for that," Nellie chided, jumping up from her chair which Toby promptly placed himself in, "Why don't you just calm down and have a seat?"

She lead Suit towards the empty seat, brushing Toby out of the way, and sitting him down.

"Now, see isn't this better?" Nellie continued, patting Suit on the shoulder, "…now I'll just get this little thing off of your hands to make you more comfortable…"

Daintily reaching for his gun, Nellie's hand was slapped down by the weapon.

"I don't think so." Suit warned, aiming it at her, "Now get down with the rest of them or you'll really get this gun from me!"

"Don't you dare shoot my mum!" Toby yelled, "Or I'll kill you!"

"Now you're an yappy little rodent, ain't you boy?" Suit addressed him sneering, "How about I shoot you first, _then_ shoot your mum. That'll shut you _both_ up!"

"Hush, dear." Nellie whispered to Toby, patting him on the back.

"That's right, you_ 'hush'_" Suit mocked, pointing his gun at both of them, "Both of you, _'hush_'!"

A bullet whizzed past Nellie and lodged in an empty seat.

Everyone in that train-car was quiet for a while, until bored and frustrated, Suit returned to his fast pacing.

"Where the Queen is he?" he repeated, throwing up his hands, "How long does it take to get a bag?...what the hell was I thinking, pulling this damn job…"

"Yes, what _were_ you thinking?" Nellie asked, seeing an opportunity, "Please tell us!"

"The money." Suit stated, "What else?"

"Well there's lots of ways to make money, there are." Nellie reminded, "Like say, holding a job, for one thing."

"This is my job." Suit replied, "That's why I called it that."

"Well what I meant was a real job…" Nellie shrugged, folding her arms, "But whatever you say. There's a lot of other places you could rob, though…why a train?"

"Why not a train?" Suit countered.

"Because it's a train, for god sakes!" Nellie exclaimed, wringing her hands, "You don't just high jack trains in England! Why, when there are so many other, better targets!"

"Like what?" Suit snapped.

"Like the Royal Palace or any of the royal estates throughout Britain …" Nellie listed, counting on her fingers, "You could rob shops, stores, houses, warehouses, carriages, factories…I could go on."

"Whatever…" Suit shook his head.

"Well doesn't really matter what you could have done." Nellie continued, "The fact is you're here now and you've got to make the most of it, you do."

"Now how would you recommend I go about doing that?" Suit asked, advancing towards her, "By laying down my weapon, giving up the heist and turning myself in?"

"Why heavens no!" Nellie laughed, "Of course not! What I would recommend is quitting while you're ahead. Ditching that worthless partner of yours and getting off the train while you still can. It's obvious this robbery thing isn't going to work here, you should cut your losses and leave. Maybe try again some other time, somewhere else. What do say?"

"I'm not getting off the train without…" Suit started but didn't finish.

"Without what?" Nellie coerced, "Without your stolen goods, your dignity…your partner?"

"Nothing! It's none of your business!" Suit roared, swinging his gun in her direction, "Shut up, or I'll shoot! You don't get any more warnings!"

Nellie chuckled softly and stood.

She came towards Suit and his weapon.

He cocked the gun.

"I'll do it, don't think I won't" Suit told, "I am a professional, after all."

"I don't need to be a professional…" Nellie replied, reaching up towards the gun, "To know when a gun is outta bullets."

She grabbed it from him and handed off to Toby who ran away with it, excited to have his first gun (even if it wasn't loaded).

All the passengers in the car stood up, tentatively, looking around trying to decide if they were safe.

"Look, mum!" Toby called.

Nellie turned to see Toby, face pressed against the window again, pointing at what was outside.

But this time, instead of nondescript cow-like forms in the distance, Nellie saw different shapes and colors whipping through the air, right next to the train.

"Clothes!" Toby identified.

_Clothes, indeed. _

Nellie watched as her favorite dress floated away.

Everyone was at the windows, now, staring in despair as their personal belongings were being stolen from them, not by robbers, but by the wind itself.

Nellie sighed.

_That was life, wasn't it._

* * *

Sweeney struggled with the sunroof.

It wasn't meant to be opened from the outside.

He first stabbed at it with his razor, but quickly stopped as he didn't want to dull its metal.

He then tried to pry it open with the razor, but also desisted because he didn't want to bend his sharp friend either.

Before Sweeney could try anything else, however, a bullet shot up through roof, grazing just past him.

And then another.

And another.

And another.

All missing, thankfully, but way too close for comfort and causing Sweeney to wonder just what the hell was happening.

* * *

Uniform finally managed to throw the demon cat from his face and escape into the next car.

He sprinted, pushing through the crowd and bleeding from his cheeks, through the passenger car until he reached a conductor, also in uniform, taking a nap.

"HELP, HELP!" Uniform sobbed, "You've gotta help me!"

"What, what?" the conductor asked, startling away, "What is it?"

"The baggage car!" Uniform declared, "Everything's come open! Even the door's fallen off its hinges! All the clothes are flying in the wind!"

"Slow down, slow down!" the conductor said, getting up, "Tell me exactly what is going on?"

"The cat." Was all Uniform was able to choke out, "The cat is evil. _Evil._"

* * *

**Well Anthony's been kidnapped by pirates, it seems...lol poor guy never catches a break! **

**I named the pirate leader Mack Swallow after Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean as a tribute to our favorite Sweeney Todd actor lol**

**and the pirate ship after The Queen Anne's Revenge which was Blackbeard's ship and Victoria's Secret which is a lingerie store lol **

**As for the two robbers...**

**idk about them, just more trouble makers for the gang to deal with...**

**I was thinking John Dillinger but that was the 20's so...lol no**

**PLEASE REVIEW! **


	24. Hostages, Amateurs, Walking The Plank

**Well it's been a damn long time...sorry about that. Here's the next chapter, we're almost done with this whole train thingy! **

* * *

"You stupid wench!" Suit jeered triumphantly, "You think that was the only gun I had?"

Nellie felt the cold barrel of a gun against the back of her neck.

Toby turned from the window where he was watching the clothes float by to see his adoptive mother being held at gunpoint.

"…well I was hoping you had only brought one…" Nellie replied, wavering.

She could see in Toby's eyes that he was about to try and do _something _and so she gave him a look, telling him 'no'.

If Toby moved they could both be dead.

All the passengers in the car froze again, returning to their original fear at being robbed.

"Well you're just not that lucky, then." Suit sneered, cocking the gun, "I'm a professional. I _always _bring a spare."

Nellie gulped.

Now would be a great time for Mr. Todd to return from his walk.

* * *

The conductor surveyed the disheveled baggage car.

"You really expect me to believe that a cat made all this mess?" he asked Uniform skeptically, gesturing to the damage.

"Yes, yes!" Uniform cried, "It had to be the cat! There is no other explanation! It's evil, I swear it! I can see it in its eyes! Red eyes!"

"You're one mad fellow." The conductor stated, "I can't believe the company would hire you. Next time I'll be screening all the employees on this train."

"The cat was in here, I saw it!" Uniform protested, "Right there! In that trunk!"

He pointed to a large leather trunk, hanging open like many of the other suitcases in the train-car.

The conductor ventured over to it and inspected.

"I see no cat." He concluded.

"It's in here, somewhere…!" Uniform declared, his shouts disintegrating into shaking whispers, "I can_ feel_ it…its hiding in the dark…waiting to pounce! It wants to kill me!"

"No more of this nonsense!" the conductor ordered, "I want this baggage car cleaned! Don't come out of here until you've restored it to it's original condition!"

"But sir-!" Uniform attempted.

"Don't say anything else!" the conductor roared, "Start cleaning! And when you are done, you're fired! Get off the train at the next stop!"

He turned from the trunk, stepping around the mess towards the exit of the car.

"No, don't go!" Uniform called after him, "You can't leave me in here alone with the cat! I'm allergic…and its evil, _evil_!"

"That's your problem." The conductor shrugged, not turning around to look at him, "Now get this car cleaned. I'm going back to my nap…"

With that, the conductor was gone and Uniform was alone.

Or was he…

Uniformed stared, shivering in fright, through the darkness to see a pair of gleaming red eyes glaring at him.

"No…no…" he muttered, backing away, "no…stay away from me…no…!"

A jaguaric screech and the animal pounced.

* * *

"Please, please!" Anthony begged, teary eyes squinting in the darkness, "I'm in the Navy! If you hurt me they'll come after you, they'll have you all hung! Piracy is a death offense!"

The masked pirated laughed, elbowing each other in the ribs.

"Don't we know it?" Mack Swallow agreed.

"I'm telling you, men!" Anthony continued, "I'm sure if you send them some sort of ransom note we can do a trade! I'm sure my captain and crew would pay to have me set free!"

The pirates erupted in hearty chuckling again.

"Your captain's dead." The first mate informed, "The whole crew's dead! We killed all those damn Navy bastards in the fight! You're the only survivor and that's because you were a yellow coward, hiding below deck!"

"I wasn't hiding!" Anthony explained, "A cannon hit me! It knocked me out! It wasn't my fault!"

"It doesn't matter whose fault it was, lad." Swallow snorted, "The fact is you fell asleep and missed all the fun. But we're here to fix that. We're going to have a real fun time with you, boy, aren't we fellas?"

The other pirates nodded and snickered in agreement.

"…what are you gonna do to me….?" Anthony inquired, afraid to know the answer.

"You'll find out soon enough, lad." Swallow answered ominously.

Anthony struggled at his ropes again, knowing that he had no chance of escaping even if he broke through them with all the pirates right there, but fighting for freedom anyway.

He imagined that this is what it would be like to be Joanna.

To live in captivity, always at the mercy of one's captors.

It was torture to Anthony and it had only been ten minutes.

* * *

Asylum.

The word essentially meant safety.

A haven for those in danger to seek refuge.

Some would call Fogg's Asylum a misnomer.

A sarcastic tribute to the fact that no one was ever safe.

Ever.

And there was nowhere one could go to truly be safe.

There was no one who truly wanted to help.

But Mr. Fogg didn't agree.

His asylum was a haven.

If it wasn't for him, the lunatics of London would roam the streets reeking havoc to the sane—

As well as themselves.

But in here, in his asylum, they were safe.

And everyone was safe from them.

Plus, it made Mr. Fogg a hell of a lot of money in government subsidies, fees from wigmakers, pimps and johns, as well as people wanting to dispose of crazies (or anyone that they would pay enough to get rid of).

Not much of that money went to the asylum or its inmates, of course.

Mr. Fogg was able to live the comfortable live style he did by keeping his children in the dungeons of his magnificent castle.

He kept the asylum medieval with no modern amenities or even the most basic of necessities.

They were insane, after all.

Just children.

Only animals.

What would they need the luxuries of man for?

They couldn't appreciate them.

They didn't deserve them.

All Mr. Fogg's children were (and ever could be) were shouts, shrieks and screams.

Random.

Echoing in the darkness.

Mindless hollow shells of human beings.

Unable to even communicate with each other.

Soulless.

It was quiet in the asylum that afternoon.

Almost so eerily quiet that Mr. Fogg didn't notice as he rifled through his paperwork at his desk in his candle-lit office.

A slow day.

And then, then Mr. Fogg heard singing.

* * *

Toby watched helplessly as his mother was taken hostage once again.

Her eyes had warned him not to act.

But he could not just let this happen another time!

He could not just sit by and wait for Mr. Todd to appear at the right moment and save the day, winning Mrs. Lovett more and more each time.

Now it was Toby's turn to be the hero.

"Nobody move or I kill the woman!" Suit warned, grabbing Mrs. Lovett and moving her around to show to all the passengers, "Everyone get your valuables ready to hand over!"

The people reached into their purses and pockets, pulling out their cash and jewelry and wrist and pocket watches.

"Form a single file line, everyone!" Suit commanded, "One after another you'll hand over the goods to the woman and then she and I will leave together! Do you understand!"

The passengers nodded, rising and starting to line up.

"Do you?" Suit repeated, growling into Mrs. Lovett's ear from behind her, "You take the things and we go! Understand!"

"Yes! I understand, I understand!" She choked out as he shook her.

Mrs. Lovett lifted her top skirt, forming a bag to for the people in the train-car to drop their valuables into.

Amongst the adults now standing up, tall above him, Toby was able to maneuver unnoticed through the crowd around him and slip out the door into the next car.

He pushed through people until he came to a sleeping man in uniform.

_Another fake?_

Toby didn't think so, or else the man wouldn't have been asleep.

"Sir, sir, wake up, wake up!" Toby yelled, tugging at the man's collar.

"Whoa! What is it this time?" the conductor shouted, startling awake and glaring at Toby, "I was in the middle of my nap! What did you wake me up for, boy? This better be good!"

"There's a robbery!" Toby declared.

The entire train-car gasped.

The passengers in the unaffected car began to worry.

"Everyone just stay calm now." The conductor said reassuringly as he stood, "Please remain in your seats, I'm going to get to the bottom of this."

"It's this way!" Toby informed, pointing towards the door into the car he had come from, "A man's holding my mum hostage and demanding all the all the money! Hurry, sir! Hurry!"

Toby clasped the conductors hand and pulled him along as he rushed back towards the train-car Suit was in the process of robbing.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." The conductor grumbled, following Toby at a pace that his advanced weight and age could sustain, "Just slow down there, boy."

* * *

After everyone had placed their valuables into Mrs. Lovett's now sagging skirt, they hovered around the room, unsure of what do next.

"Well sit down everybody, I have what I need." Suit instructed and the passengers did as they were told.

Mrs. Lovett moved to break free from Suit's clutches but he yanked her back.

"Let me go, I was just doing what you said!" she shrieked, "You told us to sit down, you did! I was just doing what you asked!"

"I didn't mean_ you_." Suit explained, pressing the gun harder against her neck as a reminded, "You're coming with me!"

Suit began to drag Mrs. Lovett towards the exit of the train-car, walking both of them backwards so he could train his gun on anyone else in the room incase they tried to be a_ hero_.

No one did.

Mrs. Lovett struggled.

"There's no point in bringing me along!" she reasoned urgently, "You've got what you came here for, now get out! You've got your gun to keep everyone behaving themselves, you don't need me as a hostage!"

"Oh but I _want _you as a hostage!" Suit declared, "You almost messed me up with your smart mouth! I'm going to take you with me so I can teach you some manners."

He pulled her sharply towards the sliding door and she elbowed him in the stomach.

The gun went off.

But, luckily, not into Mrs. Lovett's neck.

It whizzed towards the ceiling and blasted through the sunroof.

The glass shattered.

Seeing an opening conveniently (albeit suspiciously) made for him, Sweeney jumped from the roof of the train down into the car.

At that same moment, Toby and the conductor also came bursting into room, the latter pointing a pistol.

"There's the robber!" Toby yelled.

Hearing the word _'robber'_, Sweeney brandished his razors.

"Drop your weapons, felon!" The conductor commanded, aiming his gun towards Sweeney.

"What?" Sweeney snapped.

"No, it's not him!" Toby told the conductor, "That's Mr. Todd! He's not the robber!"

"What robber?" Sweeney demanded, turning to Toby, "What's going on here?"

"The boy told me a man was robbing the train." The conductor explained, lowering his gun, "He told me he was holding his mother hostage in exchange for valuables. I just assumed it was you when I saw you holding those knives there."

"Oh, you mean _these_?" Sweeney asked the man, displaying his _'friends' _for the conductor to examine, "_These _are not _knives_, sir_._ _These _are professional straight razors of the highest quality."

"And what might you be doing with those…?" the conductor tried.

"I'm a barber." Sweeney stated, and then looked back over to Toby "Now what's this about a robber, boy?"

"He had a gun to Mrs. Lovett's head, he did!" Toby sobbed, running over to Sweeney, "She tried to stop him from robbing the train but he had another gun! He was right there, Mr. Todd!"

He pointed to the sliding door that during all the commotion, Suit was able to slip out of with Mrs. Lovett unnoticed.

"Well where is he now!" Sweeney barked, scanning the room for any sign of this mysterious robber or Mrs. Lovett.

"I don't know!" Toby cried, "He took her! He must have took her!"

"Check all the cars." Sweeney ordered, "I'll go this way, you go that way."

"He couldn't have gone the way me and the boy just came from." The conductor piped up, "We would've seen them."

"Then he must have gone this way." Sweeney decided, gesturing to the door that Suit had indeed exited through only moments before, "I'll go after him."

"No you won't, sir." The conductor prevented, "I'm in charge of this train. I'll go after the robber and get the hostage back. You'll stay here with everyone else."

"I really think—" Sweeney began but was cut off.

"I'm the professional here." The conductor interrupted, "It's my job. You're just a barber. You stay here. And that goes for you too, boy. Both of you stay here."

Sweeney and Toby watched as the conductor marched out of the train-car into the next one.

As soon as he was gone, they met eyes.

"So what do we do, Mr. Todd?" Toby inquired, forgetting all grudges against Sweeney in favor of saving his mother.

"You tell me about this robber." Sweeney requested, "How did he act? What did he do? Was he working alone?"

"No, he had a guy with him." Toby informed, "A guy dressed in a fake conductor outfit who didn't know what he was doing."

"Where is this guy now?" Sweeney asked.

"I dunno." Toby answered, "He left to get a bag almost an hour ago and never came back. He probably jumped off the train or something…"

_Jumped off the train…_

Sweeney smirked, suddenly getting an idea.

"You go try to find him." He told Toby, "I don't think you'll be able to apprehend him- but it you can find him, stall him. Make sure he doesn't get back to this car and realize that his partner is gone."

"Okay." Toby nodded, glad to have a proactive part in the plan, instead of being treated like an incapable child.

He dashed out of the car in the direction of the baggage car.

Once Toby was out of the way, Sweeney was able to focus on the _real _plan.

He couldn't believe Mrs. Lovett had gone and got herself captured again.

Well, actually he could-considering that it was just the sort of damsel-in-distress antics she would employ in order to force him into saving her…

….and being a hero…

But Sweeney would discuss this with her later.

Now he had to catch the train robber.

He had met many a thief, pick-pocket and robber during his stint at the Australian prison but never before in his life had Sweeney met a train robber.

That kind of thing just wasn't_ done_ in England, after all.

Therefore, Sweeney could tell that these robbers must have been amateurs (even if one of them did seem professional).

And not only that, they must have been the stupid kind of amateurs that got themselves _blacklisted _in the circles of all the _respectable_ criminals so much so that they were unable of pulling a job anywhere else but a train.

Because train jobs just simply weren't _done _in Great Britain.

The robbers probably had no get-away-plan whatsoever and the half-way decent one who had taken Mrs. Lovett hostage was most likely running aimlessly around the train trying to figure away out of this mess.

And there _was_ only one way out.

The roof.

So just as strangely as he had appeared, Sweeney disappeared. Jumping up and latching onto the sunroof and crawling back through into the outside as the confused passengers looked on.

* * *

"Jump!"

"Jump!"

"Jump!"

"Jump!"

Anthony gulped and gazed out upon the water in front of him.

It was a blackish green and the waves shook angrily.

He thought he caught a glimpse of a shark fin…

The chanting continued and Anthony took another quivering step forward.

The wooden board bobbed up and down.

"Whatcha waiting for lad, do it!" Swallow roared, "Jump!"

"Yeah, cabin boy, jump!" his first mate agreed and jabbed the oar from a nearby lifeboat at Anthony's back, causing him to jerk forward and almost lose his balance, "Jump!"

"No!" Anthony cried, "I can't, I just can't!"

"Well you know you're other choice then, lad." Swallow reminded, "It's walking the plank and feeding our good friends the sharks-or, it's getting tied to the mast and letting the crows pick away at you! You're choice, lad and I tell you sharks are quicker!"

"I don't want to die!" Anthony declared, he spun on his heel to face the pirate crew, "Please! Can't we come to some kind of an agreement?"

The masked pirates looked at one another and seemed to converse with their eyes, visible only through tiny slits in their black masks.

Finally they reached consensus and their captained addressed Anthony.

"Well, lad, there is one thing you can do." He said, "Other than dying, that is…"

"What is it?" Anthony demanded, "Tell me what it is! I'll do it, I'll do it!"

"You can join our crew." Swallow offered, "Join our crew, renounce all your vows to the Navy and the Queen and become a pirate."

"But—" Anthony stammered.

"No buts!" Swallow snarled, "It's become a pirate or die! Break your oath to the Navy and take a new or be food for the fish and the birds! You must choose, lad! Choose wisely…"

The pirates chuckled amongst themselves, waiting for Anthony's decision.

Anthony was silent.

For a long minute he considered his options and the courses that they would take him on.

"Make up your mind, cabin boy!" the first mate snapped, prodding at Anthony with the oar again, "We haven't got all day!"

"Do you have a decision, lad?" Swallow added.

"Yes I-I do." Anthony wavered.

"…well what is it, then?" Swallow asked.

"Yeah, tell us!" the first mate and the other pirates ordered, "Are you in or are you out? Which do you chose?"

They watched as Anthony walked towards them, fear and regret apparent in his eyes.

"Ah, so you've decided to join our crew then, lad…" Swallow inferred, opening his arms, "Welcome aboard. Good choice."

"No." Anthony said.

And with that, he tipped off one edge of the plank, falling a couple dozen feet down into the sea below.

* * *

**So...do you all forgive me? More will come soon...I hope lol! PLEASE REVIEW!**


	25. Passing The Test

**My summer class is getting pretty busy so I haven't had time to write...SORRY! I hope you all like this chapter...**

* * *

Mr. Fogg rushed through his asylum's dimly lit halls, stopping at each cell door and peering past the bars to find the source of the mysterious, sudden singing.

It grew louder and louder as Mr. Fogg grew closer to the room where he kept his blondes.

He stood on his tip toes and stared in.

The inmates, usually aimless isolated even in their uncomfortable communal state, sat in neat rows, swaying back and forth, with their backs to the only exit.

Their golden hair, unkempt and at various lengths, glistened in the darkness of the windowless room.

And he could hear their voices, in perfect harmony, singing this strange, wordless song.

He fumbled with his clanking ring of rusted keys and found the correct one, turning it inside the lock and throwing open the heavy door.

Blonde tresses whipped around as all the women immediately silenced and turned towards the intruder in their black paradise.

Mr. Fogg wanted to back away from them but found himself frozen.

His key ring clanged to the floor.

* * *

Toby had checked every train-car in the train that had come after the one he, Mrs. Lovett and Mr. Todd had been seated in looking for the second robber.

Except for the baggage car.

So when Toby reached the aforementioned he was not surprised to see Uniform sprawled on the floor.

However, what he _was_ surprised to see was that the baggage car's door was missing, and that all the trunks and suitcases were opened and strewn across the car, half empty.

_That explained all the flying clothing…_

Toby ventured into the luggage train-car, stepping carefully around the mess which included the shivering Uniform.

"What happened to you?" Toby asked, confused at the sight of the cowering criminal.

Uniform shook his head, as if unable to speak.

He merely pointed.

Toby's eyes followed the direction Uniform's index finger indicated.

Using the ray of light allowed in by the luggage car's missing door Toby was able to see what Uniform was pointing at.

A white kitten, curled up in the corner of the car, seemingly asleep.

Toby started towards Ruby.

"No! Don't!" Uniform managed to choke out, tugging at Toby's shirt to hold him back, "You'll wake it!"

"…so?" Toby shrugged, looking at the man as if he was crazy (which he probably was…).

He noticed the red, coagulated scratched decorating Uniform's face.

"So! So it's evil!" Uniform whispered urgently, "If you wake it up, it'll kill us both!"

"You're a really stupid guy…" Toby muttered and wrenched himself away from Uniform's grasp so he could collect the kitten.

Ruby's red eyes open and blinked as Toby kneeled in front of her. She jumped happily into his open arms, mewing.

"You're crazy, kid!" Uniform shouted, scrambling up from the floor in order to put as much space between him and the evil beast as he could.

"Aw, Ruby, I'm so glad you're okay!" Toby exclaimed, hugging his cat close to him and petting its soft fur.

Ruby mewed, rubbing her head against Toby's shirt, leaving white hairs behind that Mrs. Lovett often complained about cleaning off of Toby's clothing.

Seeing that both kitten and boy were distracted, Uniform saw his opportunity to escape the baggage train-car.

But just as he was about to cross over into the next one, Toby called after him.

"You're not going anywhere, you stupid train robber!" he declared, "I'm taking you into custody!"

Uniform normally would not take any threats from a child seriously.

But this situation was not normal.

It was abnormal.

Abnormal because this child threatening him was holding a very dangerous weapon in his hands.

A cat.

Uniform raised his arms in surrender and Toby grinned, stroking Ruby.

* * *

Nellie's skirts flared in the wind.

Standing on the train was more difficult than it had looked.

Suit had attempted to keep a tight hold on her but had to release the woman from his grasp in order to keep himself steady.

Both of his arms were extended to full length for balance and one of them held the gun, still trained on Nellie.

The train jolted, causing the two to totter violently.

"Don't you move!" Suit warned as he slowly tried to regain his original position.

"I haven't got anywhere to go, now do I?" Nellie replied, holding her dress down. It was quiet on the roof for a few moments except for the air swooshing by until she asked, "Now just what is your plan here. We're not going to_ jump_ off the train, are we?"

"…no!" Suit said finally, but from the way he was examining the farm fields rushing past it looked as if he was seriously considering the prospect of jumping off of the train.

"You don't have a plan, do you?" Nellie accused.

"That's none of your concern!" Suit yelled, waving his weapon.

"As a matter of fact it is, since I happen to be involved in whatever plan you do concoct!" Nellie reasoned.

"Well if you care so much, why don't you think of a plan, then!" Suit shouted.

Nellie laughed to herself.

_Hadn't Mr. Todd said something like that to her once…_

"What's so funny?" Suit demanded.

"Oh, nothing." Nellie dismissed, still smiling, "I'm just thinking of a plan…"

In reality, of course, she wasn't.

She was only stalling until Mr. Todd would once again rescue her.

"Think faster!" Suit ordered, "Or I'll shoot!"

Shaking her head and rolling her eyes, Nellie started to spout off ridiculously complicated and unfathomable ideas to get off the train's roof that would be very unlikely to work.

Suit paid careful attention.

* * *

Now a competent veteran at train-roof-walking, Sweeney stepped with ease against the gusting winds towards where he could see, just as he expected, two figures struggling to keep their stances.

Suit and Mrs. Lovett.

Suit's back was to Sweeney so he did not see him approaching from behind.

But Mrs. Lovett did.

She met Sweeney's eye although made no expression or movement that would betray his position to Suit.

Over the roar of the air rushing by, Sweeney could faintly hear Mrs. Lovett talking (babbling on, really, like she usually did) about different ways to get off of the roof of the train.

"Well we could try to use my skirt as some kind of parachute, perhaps…" she suggested, "or maybe wait until we see a haystack and jump into that…hopefully it would cushion the fall. Or if the train goes under a bridge we could grab it and hang on…"

Sweeney raised an eyebrow.

_Was Mrs. Lovett planning on escaping the train with this robber? _

There was no way…

Sweeney pulled out his razors and crept quietly towards Suit, who still hadn't realized he was there.

Just as Sweeney was about to reach in front of Suit and slash his throat, Suit stomped towards Mrs. Lovett, cocking his gun and shoving it in her face.

"Enough with those stupid ideas!" he roared, "You're _useless_!"

Mrs. Lovett flinched and backed away from Suit but he continued to hold his weapon in point blank range of her head.

Sweeney knew at this moment that it was time for him to act.

He recognized murderous intent when he saw it, hell, he saw it in the mirror everyday and so Sweeney could see that Suit was really going to shoot Mrs. Lovett this time.

Although intervening before Mrs. Lovett was shot would complicate fighting and hopefully killing this robber, Sweeney had to give away his strategic and stealth position behind Suit in exchange for Mrs. Lovett's life.

Because Mrs. Lovett was a lot of things, but she was not _useless._

At least not to Sweeney.

"Hey!" he yelled.

"What?" he exclaimed, surprised to see someone else on the roof sneak up on him. He whipped around, aiming his gun in Sweeney's direction, "Who are you and what are you doing up here?"

"It doesn't matter who I am." Sweeney stated, waving his razors, "But allow me to introduce you to my _friends_…"

Suit jumped back from Sweeney upon seeing the blades. He turned back to Mrs. Lovett.

"He was here the whole time, why you didn't tell me!" he griped, "He could have killed me."

"That is kind of the point…" Mrs. Lovett shrugged matter-of-factly.

"Well I've got a gun!" Suit declared, directing his gun at Sweeney, "Get any closer to me and I'll shoot you where you stand! I'll shoot you both!"

"Shoot me, then." Sweeney bluffed, "Go ahead and shoot me!"

"Fine!" Suit agreed, "I will."

He prepared to discharge his weapon, full distracted by Sweeney and leaving Mrs. Lovett unattended and to her own devices.

She released her hands from the flailing dress she had been working hard to hold down.

All the valuables Suit had stolen from the train's passengers and stored in the folds of the skirt went flying into the air, now stolen by the wind.

"No!" Suit cried, jumping towards and reaching out his hands to catch a golden watch dropping quickly from the nearby skies towards the gravel beside the moving train, "God dammit, no!"

He had dropped his gun and it skidded on the roof's metal before disappearing off the train.

Once all the coins, jewelry and expensive time-pieces had sailed away and hit the ground, Suit, almost in tears, turned to Mrs. Lovett.

"You bitch! All that money…gone!" he sobbed, "How could you do this?...I'll kill you! I'm going to kill you!"

He raised an arm and hand in her direction.

And then realized it was missing a very important component.

His gun.

"Lost something?" Mrs. Lovett feigned.

Suit snarled and lunged at her but she simply stepped out of the way, causing Suit to lose his balance and land flat on his face against the train's roof.

"He's all yours, love." Mrs. Lovett told Sweeney.

Sweeney smirked and then promptly picked Suit up, slit his throat and threw him bleeding off of the train.

* * *

Salt water stung Anthony's nostrils and throat as he sank deeper and deeper into the sea after his great fall.

He opened his eyes.

Anthony could make out the blurry outlines of sharks circling around him.

….so this was how he was going to die…

In the middle of the ocean, eaten alive by sharks.

At least he didn't betray the Navy…

Just as Anthony closed his eyes and tried his best to make peace with this he felt something hoist him from the depths.

Air rushed into Anthony's lungs as he smacked against hard, splintery wood.

He opened his eyes.

The masked pirates surrounded him.

"What—why?" Anthony sputtered, sitting up, sopping wet, "Why did you save me!"

The pirates voices rumbled laughter, their usual response.

Anthony gazed up at them, afraid and befuddled.

"You still haven't figured it out, have you, lad?" Swallow chuckled.

"Figured what out!" Anthony demanded.

"Told you he was a slow one, this cabin boy." The first mate snickered, elbowing his captain.

"I'm not a cabin boy!" Anthony exclaimed, his usual response.

"That's right, lad, you're not." Swallow nodded, "You're an officer in the Queen's Royal Navy. And you've passed the test."

"…the test?" Anthony repeated, furrowing his brow.

"Masks off, men!" Swallow ordered.

The pirates removed their masks…

….to reveal the crew of the Navy ship Anthony had joined.

_Mack Swallow was really the captain the whole time!_

Anthony's jaw dropped.

"What? How?" he stammered, "I thought the pirates had killed you all!"

"We took care of those damn pirates a long time ago, cabin boy." The pilot of the Navy ship explained, "But you hid below deck the entire fight and fell asleep!"

"I didn't _hide_! I didn't _sleep_!" Anthony countered, "I got knocked out! By a cannon!"

"Well that doesn't explain what you were doing running down there in the first place…" the pilot reminded, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't give the lad a hard time now, then." The captain told the pilot, "He's been through enough today, he has, what with this little…_'test'_"

"Yes, sir…" the pilot grumbled, shoving his hands in his pocket.

The captain then turned back to Anthony.

"After we defeated the pirates and took them into custody in the brig…" he began, "We were coming back up and saw you sleeping—"

"—Knocked out!" Anthony interrupted, and then quickly added, "Sir! Knocked out, sir!"

"Knocked out." The captain corrected, rolling his eyes, "We decided to play a little prank on you. Just a test to see where your true loyalties lied, lad. So we all dressed up like pirates and put on these masks and took you over to the pirate ship we had commandeered."

"So it was all of you that had me locked down there!" Anthony realized, "That made me walk the plank!"

"We didn't _make _you do anything, cabin boy." The pilot snapped, "It was _your_ choice!"

"And you chose right, lad, you chose right." The captain declared, "You chose to jump to your death, rather than betray the Navy you made a commitment to, boy. You passed the test!"

"Yeah…!" Anthony smiled, "Yeah, I guess I did, didn't I!"

"You're a true Navy-man now." The captain congratulated, reaching down a hand to Anthony.

Anthony took it and the captain helped him to stand and then they shook.

Anthony never mentioned how he had lost his balance on the plank.

* * *

The conductor was busy handcuffing a sneezing Uniform, brought to him by a proud Toby and one really quite adorable white kitten when he happened to look briefly out the window.

To his shock and disgust, he witnessed a man dressed in a suit fall from the roof of the train, drenched in blood that was spurting from under the head dangling from his neck.

As he fell past, some of the crimson liquid sprayed onto the window, causing the train-car passengers to gasp.

And then the falling man hit the ground and was gone, left behind by a train moving a hundred miles an hour.

Uniform began to sob.

"That was my brother….my brother…." He sniffed, attempting to keep the mucus already gathered by his cat allergy in his nostrils.

Everyone in the car ignored him, still staring at the red-washed window.

Their eyes were only torn away when they heard something rattle above them.

Watching the ceiling, the conductor, Toby, Ruby, Uniform and everybody else saw Mr. Todd descend from the train-car's sunroof, land on the floor and then catching Mrs. Lovett when she jumped down through the square opening.

She tried to stay in his arms as long as she possibly could, but Mr. Todd, of course, quickly threw Mrs. Lovett off of him.

And then they noticed everyone staring at them.

"…_What?"_ Mr. Todd finally growled, just to break the silence.

"A man just fell from the roof. His throat was cut." The conductor stated.

"My brother….my brother…." Uniform continued to cry quietly.

"It was the robber!" Mrs. Lovett explained, "He held us all hostages! He forced me on to the roof and tried to shoot me! Mr. Todd was only—"

"Shut up." Mr. Todd interrupted, giving her a warning glare.

"Did you kill that man, Mr. Todd?" the conductor asked suspiciously, walking from where he had hand-cuffed Uniform and over to whom he was addressing.

Mr. Todd didn't answer; instead glancing at the doors at both ends of the train-car and trying to decide which one would be easiest to run to.

_The one behind him, definitely the one behind him…_

"Did you kill him?" The conductor repeated still moving towards Mr. Todd who was preparing to make a run for it.

There was no way Mr. Todd would be able to slash his way out of this situation.

"He was only trying to save me! He had to do it! He had to!" Mrs. Lovett shrilled, jumping between Mr. Todd and the conductor, "He saved my life! He saved us all!"

"So you're saying Mr. Todd _did_ kill that man!" The conductor processed.

"I…well I…um…" Mrs. Lovett struggled for an answer, knowing she had revealed too much and wondering if that meant she should just go ahead and spill it all.

"He did, didn't he?" the conductor decided and then looked back to Mr. Todd, "You did, didn't you?"

"…yes." He stated, sighing, "Yes I did."

"Well why didn't you just say so, then?" the conductor exclaimed, grinning and hurrying over to pat Mr. Todd heartily on the back, "You stopped a notorious robber who would have stolen and killed had you not killed him! You've saved all England a lot of trouble, you have!"

"Oh." Mr. Todd accepted, dumbstruck.

All the passengers in the car erupted into roaring applause, crowding around Mr. Todd to thank and congratulate him.

And then he knew what was coming.

He braced himself just in time as the conductor smiled and said, "You're a hero, Mr. Todd…"

* * *

**Another Story Arc complete! Next we get to see what happens on the vacation! And by we, I really mean we because as of yet I haven't decided...lol **


	26. A Day At The Beach

**My god, I'm sorry this took so long.**

* * *

"Oh, Mr. T, I don't know why you're in such a bad mood!"

"You know perfectly well why I'm angry! The sun is burning in my eyes, those damn rats on wings are screeching in my ears and I can feel sand just _crawling_ up into my arse!"

"Mr. Todd there is no need to be crude! We're in public! There are children here!"

"Damn the public! Damn the children!"

"Why can't you just lay back and enjoy yourself? We came to the beach for a vacation, so let's have one then!"

"No, Mrs. Lovett, we came to the beach because I needed to clear my head and you needed to figure out a plan to do _you know what_ to _you know who_ so I can finally get that all over with."

"Well the only way you're ever gonna clear out that cluttered head of yours, Mr. T, is if you sit back down and take a rest. As for the plan…I'll have one in good time. But for now, let's just both sit down enjoy the seaside."

"…fine. I'll sit down. But I _won't _enjoy myself."

Sweeney lowered himself back down onto the large, offensively pink beach blanket.

Mrs. Lovett smiled at him triumphantly and he scowled.

The scratchy, yellow sand surrounded them on all sides. Also surrounding them on all sides were hordes of people, all dressed in ridiculous bathing outfits that extenuated every roll of fat, as well as flocks of squawking seagulls fighting over whatever bits of food they could find.

The sun was out, exposed by the lack of clouds in the bright blue sky.

All in all, there was far too much _color _for Sweeney's personal preference…

"So, Mr. Todd…" Mrs. Lovett began, her voice joining the hundreds of other oppressively annoying sounds echoing around the beach.

…and far too much noise.

Sweeney tuned out Mrs. Lovett for a few moments until he realized she was no longer talking.

She was screaming.

"Oh my god! Oh my god!" Mrs. Lovett cried, jumping up from the blanket and rushing towards the ocean, "Toby! Toby! No!"

Sweeney watched her run, other beachgoers staring in confusion, and then figured out just what was happening.

Even from as far away as he was, Sweeney could see that Toby had swum too far into the sea and was being swept away by the tides.

The beagoers, now also understanding the situation, continued to gaze in morbid curiosity as Mrs. Lovett began wade into the water, her long skirts soaking more and more up as she took each step.

Sweeney was content to watch this display for awhile, in mild interest, until he remembered that Mrs. Lovett would probably drown herself before she let her adopted son be swallowed up by the ocean.

He didn't mind if Toby died, but Mrs. Lovett still owed him a death-plan for Judge Turpin.

Standing, Sweeney shouted, "Lifeguard! Is there a lifeguard here?"

He looked briefly around at all the onlookers transfixed by the scene Mrs. Lovett and Toby were making and upon seeing no lifeguard among them, Sweeney removed his jacket and the razors from his pockets, tossing them down onto the blanket behind him.

Sweeney strode towards the shoreline, pushing people out of his path until he reached Mrs. Lovett who still stood in the shallows.

"Get out of the water." He told her, pulling by one shoulder backwards towards the beach, "I'll get him."

"Hurry!" Mrs. Lovett pleaded.

Shoes and socks already off from when he had first arrived at the seaside, Sweeney walked right into the water, against the tide rolling in and out. It was really quiet easy compared to struggling against the wind on top of the train's roof earlier that day.

Toby was trying to tread water, slipping under the surface every so often, hands flailing. Each time he tried to cry for help, his mouth was muffled by foam and salty water.

No longer tall enough to touch the ocean-floor, Sweeney started to swim towards Toby, cursing Mrs. Lovett's attachment to the boy each time a wave slapped his grimacing face.

Finally he reached Toby, grabbing him in one arm and using the other to paddle both of them back to the beach.

Once sitting, sopping wet, on the sandy shore, Mrs. Lovett dashed towards Sweeney and Toby. The latter was still sputtering, spiting out water and trying to catch his breath.

"Oh Toby!" she exclaimed, scooping the boy up into a hug, "Are you alright, love?"

"Y-yeah, mum, I'm fine…" Toby choked, clutching onto his mother, "I just went into deep…"

Sometime during this loving embrace, Mrs. Lovett had wrapped the jacket Sweeny had discarded shortly before jumping into the water around her shivering son.

Before Sweeney could say anything, Mrs. Lovett decided it was his turn to be hugged.

"You saved him!" she thanked as he tried to push her off of him. She then turned to Toby, "What do you say to Mr. Todd, Toby?"

"Thank you…" Toby obeyed, getting up from the sand to stand by Mrs. Lovett.

But his voice was drowned out by the sound of clapping that erupted from the crowd of onlookers who had gathered around Sweeney, Mrs. Lovett and Toby.

"You just rescued that little boy!" someone cheered.

"Let's go." Sweeney growled, snatching Mrs. Lovett by her sleeve and pulling her along as he stomped quickly away, shoving through the crowd.

"Why are we leaving so soon?" she inquired, holding onto Toby's hand to pull him after her and Sweeney.

Sweeney opened his mouth to answer her but was cut off by an onlooker's words and finger pointing in his direction.

"_That's man's a hero!" _

"…that's why." Sweeney grumbled.

"We can't just leave!" Toby declared, "Ruby's wandered off somewhere around here…!"

He scanned the sand, searching for Ruby but his view was blocked by all the applauding onlookers.

"Well we can't just stay here." Sweeney countered, "All the clapping is giving me a headache."

"I've got an idea!" Mrs. Lovett chirped, "Toby, dear, why do you go and look for Ruby while Mr. Todd and I go for a walk away from the crowds. We'll all meet up when it's time to check into the Inn."

"Okay." Toby agreed.

"Not okay." Sweeney disagreed, "How about this. Toby you go look for that trouble-making cat and I go for a walk. _Alone._ Then we can all meet in front of the Inn at seven. Mrs. Lovett, I don't care what you do in the meantime…"

"Well then!" Mrs. Lovett sniffed, offended "I just go enjoy the seaside all by myself now then….I wouldn't want to bother you, Mr. Todd."

"…then don't." Sweeney mumbled under his breath and then addressed both Mrs. Lovett and Toby, "So we're all clear on the plan then?"

"Uh huh." Toby nodded, "I'll go get Ruby."

Toby turned and skipped away, sand flying everywhere (including into Sweeney's face) as his footsteps smacked the beach.

"And_ I _won't bother_ you_…" Mrs. Lovett stated haughtily, watching Toby run away. Once she was gone, she completed her sentence, "….but of course, while I'm not bothering you I might happen to think of plan to do _you know what_ to _you know who _and in that case would have to keep silent about it seeing as how if I were to tell you I would be_ bothering_ you…"

"Mrs. Lovett you know that's not what I meant—"

"Oh no, Mr. T, I know exactly what you meant. I won't bother you, love, don't worry. I'll just sit here on the beach and enjoy the seaside. I won't be bothering anybody, least of all you."

"But Mrs. Lovett—"

"Go on now, Mr. T. Go for your walk. _Alone. _I won't bother you."

"Mrs. Love-"

"No, no, no! Just go! I'll not be a bother and take up anymore of your time. I'll just be here…not _bothering _you. Thinking of plans and keeping them to myself."

"Fine."

"…fine?"

"Yes. Fine."

"Fine what, Mr. Todd?"

"Fine, Mrs. Lovett, you can come on my walk with me."

"….and?"

"And you won't be _bothering_ me."

"Good." Mrs. Lovett smiled and took Sweeney's hand.

Together they walked away.

* * *

Seaweed the seagull was a scrawny white bird, smaller than most of the other male seagulls he had to compete with for food and mates.

That was why they called him Seaweed.

Because he never was able to fight his way through the flocks of squawking birds to whatever scraps of chips (French Fries) and funnel-cake the human beachgoers had littered and left behind and so was only able to eat disgustingly salty seaweed that the waves washed up on the sand.

Ostracized by the other seagulls, Seaweed was forced to roam the beach alone or attempt to fly despite one of his wings being slightly bent.

His only wish was for the seagull girl of his dreams to notice him.

Her name was Sandy and she was the most beautiful bird Seaweed had ever seen.

She was a tawny brown, standing out among all the variations of black, white and gray, her feathers mimicking the sparkling golden sand.

That was why they called her Sandy.

But Sandy never even noticed Seaweed.

He would sing for her but she would never hear him.

If only Seaweed had some way to impress her…

And so as our young, outcast seagull hopped along the beach, often being shooed away by the people he would come near, he considered this.

But before he could come up with an answer, out of the corner of his eye Seaweed could see something white sneaking up at him.

At first he thought it was another seagull, a bully like Squawker (a very loud seagull) or Stilts (a very tall seagull) but when he whipped around he found that it was not.

It was far worse.

It was a cat.

Stalking towards Seaweed, belly brushing the beach, was a tiny white kitten.

Furiously fluttering his wings, trying to take flight, the fates (and the winds) were being cruel to Seaweed not allowing him to soar.

And the cat pounced.

Seaweed was able to hop out of the way at the last possible moment but the little kitten did not yet give up.

She chased Seaweed across the sand as he frantically sprinted away from her, looking for somewhere he could hide.

The pier was behind him and so Seaweed could not go take cover under it and he seriously doubted that a fat human would provide him any protection.

And since flying seemed to be out of the question, Seaweed was left with only once option.

The ocean.

Cats hated the water; all seabirds knew this and used it to their advantage.

Seaweed jumped on his long yellow legs towards the tides as fast as he could, the kitten stumbling behind him, slowed down by the sand.

Finally Seaweed reached the seaside and walked into the water.

But the tiny cat was not deterred!

A naïve, young thing, the kitten rushed into the waves after Seaweed.

She was picked up by the tides and spat back out of the ocean onto the sand.

Learning a valuable lesson, the kitten began to stand and shake the salty water off her fur. But before her could get out of the way, the tide rolled back in and carried her back into the sea.

Meowing in fright and discomfort as the waves attacked her, the kitten could not swim to save herself.

Despite her trying to catch him, Seaweed pitied the poor creature. She was only a child, after all.

He let out a long screech.

Seaweed knew none of the other seagulls would answer him but he did know of someone that just might.

Sure enough, the sun was soon eclipsed by a large silhouette flapping its wings and then landing in the water beside Seaweed.

"You rang?" Purse greeted, grinning.

Purse was a plump Pelican who was named for his tendency to store human's valuables in his large, rounded beak the way a human would store things in a purse.

"Yeah, I did." Seaweed affirmed, "Thanks so much for coming, Mr. Purse!"

"You know I'm always there to help a friend in need..." Purse replied and then got to the point of their conversation, "Now just what do you need? You sounded pretty desperate in that screech. What's the problem?"

"This kitten here." Seaweed began, pointing at the cat struggling in the sea with one of his legs.

"What? This little thing here?" Purse laughed, the expensive jewels and watches in his beak glinting, "That's what made you scream like that?"

"…yes." Seaweed confirmed, sighing sheepishly.

"Wow Seaweed, it's about time you started working out or something." Purse joked, and then got serious, "So you want me to…ahem…_take care of it_?"

He prodded at the kitten with a webbed toe.

"Yes-I mean no!" Seaweed fumbled, "I don't want you to 'take care of it' take care of it! I want you to, you know, take _care _of it. Like really take care of it. Help it out!"

"Oh!" Purse responded, "I get you. You want me to help it out…_of its misery_."

"No, Mr. Purse, sir!" Seaweed exclaimed, "I'll just say it straight out! I want you to get it outta the water! Before it drowns!"

"…so you want me to save a cat." Purse understood, raising an eyebrow, "Lemme get this straight. You, _a bird_, want me, _another bird_, to save _a cat_. Correct me if I'm wrong."

"You're right." Seaweed stated.

"Well you've always been a weird one…." Purse shrugged.

"So will you help it or not?" Seaweed asked.

"I will." Purse answered, "But it'll cost double."

"Double?"

"Yes double. You want me to save a cat, one of our natural predators. I'm taking a risk for you, Seaweed. You'll pay me double or I won't do it."

"Okay, I'll pay you double. What do you want."

"The usual. _Shinies_. I want _shinies_."

"I don't have any now. But I can get some. I'll get some!"

"Two shinies and I'll save the cat."

"Two shinies. I'll get them for you. I promise."

"You have until sundown."

"Okay, Mr. Purse, I'll get them to you by sundown!"

"You know where to find me."

"Yes."

"Okay, Seaweed, we have a deal."

Purse extended an orange leg and Seaweed extended a yellow one. The two shook webbed feet.

After that, Purse lowered his large beak into the tide and scooped up the little white kitten who was now thoroughly soaked and quite dizzy.

"Here's you're cat." He said, attempting to give Seaweed the animal.

"I don't want it anywhere near me!" Seaweed exclaimed, "Thing tried to eat me, it did!"

"My god, Seaweed, cat tried to eat you and so you save it. You really are a strange one…." Purse shook his head, "So where do you want me to put it?"

"Just throw it up on the beach somewhere, far away from the tide." Seaweed replied, "I don't want it to get sucked back in."

"Alright." Purse agreed, flapping his wings and taking off with the kitten in his beak, "And remember. Two shinies. By sundown. Don't forget."

"I won't!" Seaweed called after him as he flew away, waving a wing.

* * *

Toby was trotting along the beach looking for Ruby when he saw a fat bird with a big beak prodding at a tiny white object.

On closer inspect, he found that the tiny white object was indeed his albino kitten.

"Ruby!" Toby cried and dashed towards the large bird, "Get away from her you beast! Get away!"

Toby kicked sand and swatted his hands at the bird who quickly flapped away.

Kneeling, Toby picked up a wet Ruby gently in his hands.

She mewed weakly.

"I can't believe that bird tried to eat you!" he exclaimed, "But don't worry, now you're safe! I'll never let anything happen to you again, Ruby!"

Feeling at ease in the arms of her owner, Ruby closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep after such a difficult day.

* * *

As they walked, Mrs. Lovett was chattering on as usual and Sweeney was ignoring her, as usual.

Why did he allow her to come along on his walk, again?

What was he thinking?

….oh yeah. _The plan._

But Mrs. Lovett wasn't talking about any plans (as far as Sweeney could tell since he had tuned her out long ago) and it was really _bothering_ him.

Sulking, Sweeney shoved his hands into his pockets.

His eyes flew open wide and he stopped in his tracks.

"Mr. T?" Mrs. Lovett inquired, also halting and turning around to look at him in confusion, "What's wrong, love?"

"My razors." He said in a fearful whisper, "I don't have my razors."

* * *

Seaweed hopped out of the waves and across the beach.

He had to find two shiny things for Purse by sundown.

Seaweed had heard the stories of what happened to those who didn't pay Purse…

And so he searched with urgency for the perfect gifts.

And then he saw them.

Sparkling in the late afternoon sunlight, sitting on a pink beach blanket, unattended.

Seaweed stepped cautiously, glancing around him to make sure no one was watching.

Then he lowered his beak and picked up the razors.

* * *

**Uh oh! Will Sweeney get his razors back? (most likely) Still if you want to find out for sure...**

**Please review!**


	27. Seaweed, Shinies and Beach Volleyball

**THANK YOU TO ALL MY REVIEWERS WHO HAVE REMAINED LOYAL (and often rather hilarious) EVEN IN MY TIME OF NON-UPDATING! I LOVE YOU ALL...!**

* * *

Carrying a sleeping Ruby in his arms, just as Toby reached the edge of the beach, Mrs. Lovett and Mr. Todd came running onto the sand from the street, with worried looks on their faces.

Mr. Todd pushed past the boy, waking the cat, continuing to run, but Mrs. Lovett stopped when she realized it was Toby she was about to run into.

"Toby!" she exclaimed.

"I found Ruby!" Toby declared, brandishing the rudely-awoken white kitten, "She was almost eaten by a big bird! But I saved her!"

"That's nice, dear…" Mrs. Lovett said, hurriedly, looking past Toby to watch Mr. Todd rush across the beach, "But it seems that now Mr. T has lost his razors and we need to go find them…!"

"Okay." Toby agreed.

He followed Mrs. Lovett back onto the sand, all the way to the pink beach blanket that they had been using earlier and that Mr. Todd was now pulling up from the ground and shaking.

"They're not here!" he groaned, "they're gone, they're gone!"

Mr. Todd threw the blanket back down and kicked sand onto it, while shaking his fist.

"Are you sure, love?" Mrs. Lovett asked, bending over and lifting the blanket to peek under it, "Did you check under here?"

"Of course I checked under there!" Mr. Todd growled, stamping his foot "I pulled the damn thing up, you idiot! They're gone! Someone _stole _them!"

"Just calm down now, Mr. Todd…" Mrs. Lovett attempted to console, patting Mr. Todd on the back, "I'm sure we'll find them…"

"And when I do, I'll _kill_ the person that took them!" Mr. Todd shouted.

"Mr. Todd!" Mrs. Lovett cried, "You don't mean that!"

"Yes I—"

"Quiet now!" Mrs. Lovett hushed, "People are staring!"

It was true.

The beachgoers who had gathered to watch Mr. Todd save Toby from drowning earlier that day, now gathered again to watch Mr. Todd threaten to kill whatever thief had stolen his razors.

Mr. Todd glared at the onlookers.

One such onlooker emerged from the crowd and marched towards Mr. Todd, Mrs. Lovett and Toby.

"Hey you there!" he yelled, pointing at the three, "That's my blanket you're kicking sand and stomping on!"

Toby looked down at the blanket, which was a bright shade of _pink_ and then up at the man, who was a middle-aged _male_.

"Then you've got a girly blanket, you do!" he taunted, laughing.

Mrs. Lovett quickly shushed the boy by pulling him close.

"Well my mother picked it out, it's _hers _actually…" the man stated, his face turning the color of the blanket, "But that don't mean you can come here and just damage my property like that!"

"Mrs. Lovett…" Mr. Todd began, turning to her and raising an eyebrow, "I thought this blanket was yours…."

"I told you we lost all our luggage in that botched train robbery." Mrs. Lovett explained, her face now turning the blanket's color, matching the man's, "When I saw this beautiful blanket here unattended, I just thought _'how convenient'_…"

"Waste not, want not…" Toby added, from Mrs. Lovett's skirts, "Like you always say, mum…"

Mr. Todd rolled his eyes.

"I'm sorry, sir." He grumbled, "You can have your blanket back."

"Well I don't want it now!" the man bellowed, "It's been soiled by you! My mother will never stand for it!"

"That's your problem." Mr. Todd replied.

"No it's_ yours_." The man countered, "_You're _the one who ruined it. And so_ you're_ the one who has to get me a new one before my mother gets back here and finds out about this."

"I don't have time for that." Mr. Todd declines, remembering his missing razors.

"Well if you don't do it then you're gonna have to be the one to explain _this_..." the man gestured to the sandy pink blanket, "…to my mother!"

"Your blanket and your mother are not my concern…" Mr. Todd stated and then stepped around the man, "Now I have to go retrieve what was stolen from me, so if you'll excuse me…"

Mr. Todd tried to walk away, but the man grabbed his shoulder.

"You're not going anywhere, you _blanket-bandit_!" he shouted.

"Let go of me…." Mr. Todd warned.

If only he had his razors, he would have slashed the man minutes ago.

Mr. Todd and the man stood glowering at one another.

Sensing an impending fight, Mrs. Lovett rushed to intervene, leaving Toby and Ruby behind by the blanket.

She pried the man's hand off of Mr. Todd and pushed them both apart.

"No need for you boys to be angry..." Mrs. Lovett chided, "I know how we can settle this…"

* * *

Although the sky was still blue and the sun was still yellow, Seaweed could tell that evening was coming.

He had to bring the shinies to Purse before it was too late.

But as he hopped, shinies in beak, across the sand towards Purse's roost under the boardwalk, all he could think of was Sandy.

Sandy and her beautiful tawny feathers, and tan wings and brown legs.

_How he could he impress her? _

Seaweed knew how.

There were two things that won the hearts of seagull women.

Food…

….and _shinies_.

And Seaweed just happened to have two perfect shinies pressed between his lips.

If he gave them to Sandy he knew she would finally love him back…

But he had to give the shinies to Purse or else Purse would punish him as he did all debtors.

Seaweed cursed his luck.

The one day he found two shinies good enough to impress the girl he loved, was also the one day he happened to owe them to a very powerful (and dangerous) Pelican.

Seaweed considered giving one shiny to Sandy and the other to Purse but knew that Purse had demanded_ two _shinies.

But what if he found two _more _shinies?

Then he could give the new ones to Purse and the better ones to Sandy.

He still had time.

The sun was still high in the sky and so sundown was still far enough away.

Seaweed turned away from the boardwalk he had been journeying towards and instead trotted towards the top of the beach where the humans vacationed and often left behind tiny trinkets.

* * *

"Welcome, merchant…" Lucy greeted, voice barely above a whisper yet echoing around the dark cell.

Somehow, her blonde hair shimmered, even in the lack of light.

Her blue eyes, like all the other eyes in the room, bored into Fogg's as he glanced nervously at the pales faces of the women.

They rose.

Fogg found himself surrounded by his 'children' who now seemed to stand taller than he did.

"What the—what is this…?" he stammered, afraid and confused.

The crowd of patients parted for Lucy to glide through all the way over to Fogg.

Despite her tattered clothing, matted hair and dirt-stained skin, she gave the aura of a goddess in her control of the cell.

"We the rejects of an already broken world have created a new paradise within this hell..." Lucy began, "This city, London, is a immoral, backwards society. It is a haven for demons, like the Devil himself wreaking his bloody havoc, who are no worse than the Black God who commands it. It is ruled by a king who is a demon himself yet seeks to purify!"

"Huh?" Fogg said.

"Authority is evil and yet still chaos is evil. There is no balance." Lucy continued, "There is no good left in this city. The last angel has sold her soul to her Black God for the safety of the Devil and his family, partly by my own doing, but still no less wrong."

"I don't understand what you're talking about." Fogg replied, "You are obviously insane. That is why you're in here, after all."

"No!" Lucy screeched, eyes flashing dangerously causing Fogg to flinch, "I am in here because _you_ made a deal with the little demon child, the Devil's son!"

Fogg remembered the kid who had helped him capture Lucy.

"I'll not stand for this misbehavior." He declared, "I didn't come to this ward to listen to your mad ramblings. I came here to tell you all to stop singing. I'm trying to do my paperwork and you all are being too loud. So stop this all at once. This is your only warning!"

Fogg's threats, at first, were met by silence as the women in the room looked at each other as if trying to decide what to do.

It was decided when they looked to Lucy.

She started to laugh.

A harsh cackling that befitted the filthy witch in rags Lucy has come to the asylum as, rather than the ethereal goddess she had transformed into.

The others joined her laughter.

"You dare laugh at me?" he exclaimed, offended, "I am the master of this asylum! I am your _father _and you all are merely just _children_!"

The laughing continued for a few more moments until Lucy's trailed off.

After the room had become quiet again for a few beats, Lucy resumed her speech.

"You are no master, you are no father." She denied, "You are but a merchant. A buyer and seller in this city, making deals with whatever demons or dark angels will have you. You bargain with both the Black God and the Devil's son, while swearing allegiance to neither. You just are another gray thing, gray like this city, who cloaks his evil in the mask of good."

"You don't know me!" Fogg snapped, but was ignored and interrupted.

"An asylum is supposed to be a place of protection for the ill and the endangered!" Lucy accused, "Yet here you have created a hell and then named it a heaven! But I…we, the simple fallen angels, have restored your hell into the Eden it was meant to be and have ourselves risen! We risen, former demons will now rescue London from the shadow world it has become and turn it into the bright kingdom it was meant to be!"

"We will, we will!" the women chanted, "We risen demons will!"

"You're crazy, woman!" Fogg yelled, "All of you are crazy! Sit down now!"

The prisoners remained standing, staring at Fogg in contempt and then at Lucy in adoration, waiting to follow her next move.

"I will make a deal with you, merchant." Lucy told Fogg, "You can join with us, and redeem your gray soul…or you can try to stop us and be thrown down into the hell you belong in."

"How dare-"Fogg's protest was cut off.

A cry erupted from the women, first just from Lucy, but soon a chorus.

It was then Fogg realized that during this peculiar event, he had dropped his keys and left the door wide open behind him.

From the floor ass he was trampled by the stampede of his own patients, Fogg could distinguish the strange same singing he had heard earlier within the women's roars.

* * *

Nellie grinned victoriously at the scene before her.

A white ball, generously donated by a member of the crowd gathered around the area, rested in her hands.

There was a white net strung up high between two wooden poles stuck in the sand.

On one side of the net stood Mr. Todd and on the opposite stood the owner of the pink beach blanket.

"You boys know the rules." Nellie declared, "If you fail to hit the ball over the net back into your opponent's side of the court and it touches the ground on your side, they gain a point and you lose one. If you hit the ball but it doesn't go over the net, then they gain a point. If you knock it into your opponent's side and it touches their ground, you gain a point and they lose one. First one to have ten points wins. Any questions?"

"No…" Pinky (as Nellie was now calling the man in her mind) responded.

Mr. Todd raised a hand.

"Mr. Todd?" Nellie acknowledged.

"I don't see why I have to do this when my razors—" Mr. Todd grumbled.

"PLAY BALL!" Nellie shrilled and threw the ball in her arms towards the net.

Both men rushed towards it as it bounced off the top of the net.

Slipping through a group of humans crowding around to watch two other humans play beach volleyball, Seaweed trotted along, scanning the sand for a sight of something shiny.

Suddenly, from the sunny skies, dropped three seagulls into his path.

Two were standard white, with gray tipped wings, while the third, their leader, was completely gray.

Seaweed groaned, he knew these guys.

They were beach thugs who always stole all the best scraps on the beach for themselves, even sometimes out of human's hands or picnic baskets.

Often, they would terrorize the boardwalk and so Seaweed wondered what they were doing so far away from it.

"What do you want?" he demanded, defensively, backing away from the birds.

"We just happened to be flying along on our way to the pier…" Gray explained, stepping towards him with his friends, "And then saw a little glint. Two little glints, in fact. And so we decided to land. And here you are with those nice shinies in your mouth…."

"Oh, go rob a concession stand!" Seaweed squawked, "Leave me alone."

"Actually, we were thinking of robbing you." Gray declared, chuckling along wit his lackeys, "Hand over the shinies...now!"

"No!" Seaweed shouted, flapping his wings furiously.

For once in his life, they managed to lift him off of the ground and so Seaweed began to fly away.

Gray and two other birds chased after him.

"Get back here!" one called.

Dodging people and umbrellas, Seaweed flew as fast as he could away from his pursuers who were quickly gaining on him.

And just then at the worst possible moment, his malformed wing failed him.

Seaweed plunged down towards the beach.

When he opened his eyes, Gray and his lackeys had him surrounded.

"You just had to run, didn't you?" Gray snickered, "Well I've got you now and you're definitely gonna get it! Boys, sick him!"

The two white seagulls began pecking at Seaweed, who lay on the sand, as Gray bent towards him to try to take the shinies from his mouth.

"No! You can't take these shinies!" Seaweed yelped, "I need them!"

"But I _want_ them!" Gray replied.

As he was being beaten and robbed, Seaweed didn't fight back.

He couldn't do much to defend himself anyway, and figured whether Gray killed him for his shinies or Purse killed him for not giving him his shinies, he was dead either way.

But just as Seaweed was begging to see the light at the end of the long, dark tunnel a voice called out, bringing him back to the beach where he was receiving the beating.

"Stop, stop!" Sandy cried.

The pecking stopped, amazingly, and both victim and attackers turned to see the dark golden seagull hop towards them.

"Sandy…this isn't what it looks like-" Gray started but was interrupted.

"Save it." Sandy snapped, "You and your friends fly off now before I have to tell my father that you've been making trouble again."

"But Sandy…" Gray groaned, knowing his words would be worthless because Sandy's father just happened to be the mayor of all the birds on the beach.

"Leave!" Sandy commanded, "All you thugs, leave!"

She swatted her wings at the racketeering seagulls and they jumped into the air.

"…We're going, we're going!" Gray conceded and then he and his friends flew away, leaving Seaweed and Sandy alone in their little section of the beach.

"Are you okay?" Sandy asked, rushing to Seaweed's side.

A few seconds ago, Seaweed thought he was close to death but now that Sandy had finally noticed him he felt ever so much better.

"I'm fine." He stated, struggling to stand and shake off the beat down as nothing.

"What was all that about?" Sandy inquired, "Why were they fighting you?"

"They wanted these shinies…" Seaweed explained, opening beak to reveal the treasure he had found.

"Wow!" Sandy exclaimed, gaping at the two shinies, "I've never seen anything so beautiful before!"

"Me neither…" Seaweed agreed, gazing at Sandy's face.

"They're just so…so…so shiny…" Sandy whispered, enthralled by the glittering objects in Seaweed's mouth.

"They're for you." Seaweed said, dropping the shinies down into the sand and nudging them to Sandy's webbed feet.

A hasty, horrible idea that Seaweed knew he would regret.

But this was quite possibly his only opportunity to woo Sandy….

He saw his chance and he took it.

"For me?" Sandy repeated, surprised and flattered, "Really?"

"Really." Seaweed nodded, "I got them just for you. I hope you like them."

"I love them!" Sandy squealed, blushed, "They're so beautiful! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

She bent down and picked up the two shinies in her beak.

"So…uh…Sandy…" Seaweed began, stuttering.

"Yes?" Sandy responded.

Seaweed cleared his throat.

"Do you…uh…._doyouwanttomarryme_?" he blurted.

The next moment was the longest and most agonizing moment of Seaweed's life.

"Of course, I'll marry you!" Sandy agreed.

"…really?" Seaweed sputtered, shocked.

"Yes, really!" Sandy confirmed, giggling, "I mean you did just give me the best two shinies ever so….yes. Yes I do think we should be married."

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes!" Seaweed exclaimed, happily, "Oh, Sandy I love you!"

* * *

"I love you too…!" Sandy reciprocated until she stopped speaking, coming to a realization, "…what is your name, anyway?"

Sweeney slapped the ball over the net but somehow Pinky (who he was now calling his opponent in his mind) managed to boot it back over to his side.

Hurrying to catch it before it hit the sand, Sweeney cursed.

He cursed the game of beach volleyball he had to play so he wouldn't have to pay a man back for a blanket of all things.

He cursed Pinky (and the threat of his mother) for caring so much about a stupid pink blanket.

He cursed Mrs. Lovett for getting him into this mess by sitting herself, Toby and him down on the blanket as if it was hers (Sweeney being none the wiser) and then deciding that the only way out of the mess was to play a game.

And most of all, he cursed whoever had stolen his precious razors.

He _would _find the thief and he _would_ kill him.

Sweeney swore it to himself as he smacked the ball over the net and the crowd around him roared.

* * *

**Well please review!**

**(or don't and then I'll actually have an excuse for my lazy lack of updates...) **

**I'M SORRY!**


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